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Use of complementary and alternative therapy among patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 07/12/2012
Clinical Article
Alaaeddine N et al. – Although complementary and alternative therapy might have beneficial effects in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, patients should be cautious about their use and should necessarily inform their health care providers about the consumption of any products other than their conventional medicines.
Methods- Conducted individualised questionnaire–based interviews among 250 adult patients, ranging between the ages of 20–90 years and diagnosed with either rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis.
- The questionnaire included demographic information, clinical information, use of conventional therapies and complementary and alternative therapy, and the disease status before and after complementary and alternative therapy use.
- Fifty–eight (23•2%) patients used complementary and alternative therapy in addition to their conventional medications in the treatment of either rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis.
- Most herbal medicine users (63•8%) believed that complementary and alternative therapy was beneficial.
- The disease status measured by the intensity of pain, sleeping pattern and level of activities was significantly improved after using complementary and alternative therapy (p = 0•01).
- Forty–eight (82•75%) patients were using herbals as complementary and alternative therapy, 14 (24•1%) of whom have sought medical care because of potential concomitant drug–complementary and alternative therapy side effects.
- However, these side effects were not serious and reversible.
