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Prevalence, expenditures, and associated factors of purchasing non-prescribed Chinese herbal medicine in Taiwan.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND AND AIMS:Purchasing Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) without a physician's prescription may have adverse effects on health. However, the recent status of purchasing non-prescribed CHM and the associated factors are not completely understood. We aimed to report the prevalence of purchasing CHM and associated factors. METHODS:Using data from the 2017 Taiwan Survey of Family Income and Expenditure, we identified 16,528 individuals (householders) aged 18 years and older. Sociodemographic factors, expenditures on medical services and health behaviours were compared between people with and without a history of purchasing non-prescribed CHM by calculating adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in a multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS:The one-year prevalence of purchasing non-prescribed CHM was 74.8% in Taiwan. In addition to sociodemographics, marital status (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.88-2.44), the use of traditional Chinese medicine (OR 3.62, 95% CI 3.30-3.97), the purchasing of non-prescribed biochemical medications (OR 3.09, 95% CI 2.75-3.48), the purchasing of health foods (OR 2.59, 95% CI 2.33-2.86), the use of folk therapy (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.95-2.64), and a high level of expenditure on alcohol (OR 3.79, 95% CI 3.29-4.36) were strongly correlated with purchasing non-prescribed CHM. CONCLUSION:The one-year prevalence of purchasing non-prescribed CHM is very high in Taiwan and is correlated with sociodemographics, health behaviours, and the utilization of medical care. The interaction of non-prescribed CHM with physician-prescribed herbal medicine and biomedical medications requires more attention.

SUBMITTER: Hu FP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7588068 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Prevalence, expenditures, and associated factors of purchasing non-prescribed Chinese herbal medicine in Taiwan.

Hu Feng-Ping FP Liao Chien-Chan CC Chen Ta-Liang TL Yeh Chun-Chieh CC Shi Luwen L Shih Chun-Chuan CC

PloS one 20201026 10

<h4>Background and aims</h4>Purchasing Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) without a physician's prescription may have adverse effects on health. However, the recent status of purchasing non-prescribed CHM and the associated factors are not completely understood. We aimed to report the prevalence of purchasing CHM and associated factors.<h4>Methods</h4>Using data from the 2017 Taiwan Survey of Family Income and Expenditure, we identified 16,528 individuals (householders) aged 18 years and older. Socio ...[more]

PMID: 33104738

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Project description:Background:There is some evidence that patients with liver diseases commonly use complementary and alternative therapies to address general and liver-disease specific health concerns. The purpose of this study was to assess and describe prevalence, patterns and related factors of herbal medicine use among adults diagnosed with viral and non-viral hepatitis in Kampala, Uganda.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted on 310 adult patients attending the gastrointestinal clinic in Mulago hospital referral hospital in Kampala. Data on prevalence, types and reasons for herbal medicine use was collected using standardized questionnaires and focus group discussions. Modified Poisson regression analyses were used to examine factors related to use.Results:Usage of various herbal remedies within 12?months prior to April 2018 was reported by 46.1% (143/310) of patients with 27.3% (39/143) of these reporting having used conventional and herbal therapies concurrently. Herbal remedies were used to treat various health conditions including hepatitis. Patients with hepatitis C virus infection (PRR?=?1.16, p?=?0.02) compared to those with hepatitis B virus infection, and those who believed that it was safe to use herbal and conventional therapies concurrently (PRR?=?1.23, p?=?0.008) had higher prevalence odds of herbal medicine use. Conversely, patients who had been newly diagnosed with hepatitis (PRR?=?0.69, p?=?0.03) compared to those who had been diagnosed more than one-year prior, had lower prevalence odds of herbal medicine use. Various types of local herbs were reported as most commonly used however most patients did not know the ingredients of commercially prepared herbal therapies.Conclusion:A high prevalence of herbal medicine use was found among newly-diagnosed patients and patients with hepatitis C more likely to use herbal remedies after adjusting for other factors. Usage was influenced by the belief that herbal medicine is safe and effective. Health workers need to consistently elicit information about herbal remedy use. Research is needed on benefits, adverse effects and outcomes in patients who use herbal remedies to treat primary liver diseases in order to facilitate evidence of efficacy and product safety.

Project description:Pemphigus is a life-threatening and skin-specific inflammatory autoimmune disease, characterized by intraepidermal blistering between the mucous membranes and skin. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used as an adjunct therapy for treating many diseases, including pemphigus. However, there are still limited studies in effects of CHM treatment in pemphigus, especially in Taiwan. To more comprehensively explore the effect of long-term CHM treatment on the overall mortality of pemphigus patients, we performed a retrospective analysis of 1,037 pemphigus patients identified from the Registry for Catastrophic Illness Patients database in Taiwan. Among them, 229 and 177 patients were defined as CHM users and non-users, respectively. CHM users were young, predominantly female, and had a lesser Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) than non-CHM users. After adjusting for age, sex, prednisolone use, and CCI, CHM users had a lower overall mortality risk than non-CHM users (multivariate model: hazard ratio (HR): 0.422, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.242-0.735, p = 0.0023). The cumulative incidence of overall survival was significantly higher in CHM users than in non-users (p = 0.0025, log rank test). Association rule mining and network analysis showed that there was one main CHM cluster with Qi-Ju-Di-Huang-Wan (QJDHW), Dan-Shen (DanS; Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae; Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge), Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao--San (JWXYS), Huang-Lian (HL; Rhizoma coptidis; Coptis chinensis Franch.), and Di-Gu-Pi (DGP; Cortex lycii; Lycium barbarum L.), while the second CHM cluster included Jin-Yin-Hua (JYH; Flos lonicerae; Lonicera hypoglauca Miq.) and Lian-Qiao (LQ; Fructus forsythiae; Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl). In Taiwan, CHMs used as an adjunctive therapy reduced the overall mortality to approximately 20% among pemphigus patients after a follow-up of more than 6 years. A comprehensive CHM list may be useful in future clinical trials and further scientific investigations to improve the overall survival in these patients.

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Prevalence, expenditures, and associated factors of purchasing non-prescribed Chinese herbal medicine in Taiwan.

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Prevalence, expenditures, and associated factors of purchasing non-prescribed Chinese herbal medicine in Taiwan.

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