Use of complementary and alternative medicines: a cross-sectional study among hypertensive patients in Iraq

Abstract

Objectives The purpose of this study was to assess the use, predictors and patient's seeking behaviour of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) in hypertension and evaluate patient's perception of CAM adverse effects. Methods A cross‐sectional questionnaire‐based study was conducted among hypertensive patients from May to December 2015. A convenience sample technique was adopted to recruit patients attending two major teaching hospitals in the capital city Baghdad, Iraq. A total of 400 valid responses were obtained recording a response rate of 93.02%. Key findings The overall prevalence of CAM usage was 65.5% (n = 262). Biological‐based therapies were the most used type of CAM by 62.8% (n = 251) of patients. The use of CAM was associated with patient's educational level, marital status and duration of hypertension. The main reasons of using CAM were to support the standard treatment, decrease the symptoms of hypertension and protect the health. Monthly expenditure on CAM varied from Income in Iraqi Dinar (IQD) 10 000 to IQD 150 000 (US $8.6 to US $128.7). Users of CAM reported some unwanted effects that were associated with a certain category of it. Conclusions The use of CAM, particularly biological‐based therapies, was prevalent among hypertensive patients in Iraq. This practice was associated with patients' educational level, marital status and duration of hypertension. Patient's perception of adverse effects was noticed with different modalities of CAM. Therefore, CAM practice should be suggested only if its benefit is proven, and the side effect is controlled.

Herbal medicines: a cross-sectional study to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of use among Jordanian adults

“…The prevalence of herbal use in this study (80.2%) was the highest when compared with findings presented in other studies from Middle Eastern areas [5,17,18] and the United States [19]. The majority of previous studies reported a higher rate of use of herbal medicines among hypertensive patients [20][21][22].…”

“…Moreover, the only associated health-related characteristic was the patient's disease state, including specifically hypertension. On the contrary, other studies showed an association with some demographic variables such as educational level or marital status as reported by Ibrahim et al [17]. Another survey in Turkey showed a significant association with almost all demographic variables considered [21].…”

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with chronic viral hepatitis in Turkey

“…Based on a country's cultural characteristics, rates of use of CAM methods in the USA, the Far East, and Europe range between 9% and 80%. 2,5,6 Notably, the use of herbal medications are the most common methods. 6,7 Several studies have examined the benefits of CAM in diabetes mellitus, hypertension, malignancy, and rheumatic diseases; however, only few have explored its use in chronic viral hepatitis (CVH).…”

“…6,7 Several studies have examined the benefits of CAM in diabetes mellitus, hypertension, malignancy, and rheumatic diseases; however, only few have explored its use in chronic viral hepatitis (CVH). 5,7,8 Viral hepatitis is a chronic disease wherein the efficacious treatment may be either extensive or limited. Notably, there are approximately 240 million patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) worldwide, and 170 million with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).…”

Evaluation of Effectiveness of Wet Cupping versus Blood Donation on Hematological Parameters in Healthy Young Adults

“…Positive outcomes are reported in many developing countries compared with the negative results reported by the industrialized world [11]. In Iraq, information and exact statistics on the prevalence of CAM use specifically cupping therapy is not yet available [13]. Interest in wet-cupping among the public to treat various hematological disorders, particularly polycythemia, has grown considerably in recent years.…”