Prevalence of Herbal Medicine Use Among Hypertensive Patients Attending a District Hospital in Ghana
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Hypertension cases continue to increase both in numbers and their impact upon the quality of life of the affected individuals. A major hindrance to achieving blood pressure control in hypertension is non-adherence to medication. A key factor for poor adherence is the lack of confidence in therapy, and this is expressed sometimes through self-medication with herbal medicines and over-the-counter medicines. The study assessed the prevalence of herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients accessing care at the Outpatient Department of Asamankese Government Hospital. Methods: The study design is a cross-sectional descriptive study. The study was conducted in the outpatient department of Asamankese Government Hospital in the West Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region of Ghana. Participants recruited for the study were hypertensive patients aged 18 years or older who attended the study facility during the study period and provided informed consent. Participants were systematically recruited from all hypertensive patients visiting the Outpatients Department of the study facility by selecting every third patient who came to the pharmacy to take their medications. Results: A very high proportion of participants (90.1%) had at some point used herbal medicine for a health condition. A significant proportion (41.3%) of the participants were found still using herbal products at the time of this study. Most participants (85.1%) who used herbal medicine did so because they were seeking a cure. A very high proportion (86%) had not disclosed their use of herbal medicine to their healthcare providers. Conclusion: The prevalence of herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients receiving care from the outpatient department of the facility was found to be high, with the reason for use being a search for a cure. Herbal medicine use largely remained undisclosed to healthcare providers.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
World Health Organization. Fact sheet on Hypertension. Published online in 2021. Accessed October 8, 2022. www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/details/hypertension
Ministry of Health, Ghana. National Non-communicable Diseases Policy. Published online March 2022. Accessed October 13, 2022. www.moh.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Ghana-NCD-Policy-2022.pdf
Sarfo FS, Ovbiagele B. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of herbal medication use among Ghanaian stroke survivors. J Neurol Sci. 2021;427:117540. doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2021.117540
Thankappan KR, Shah B, Mathur P, et al. Risk factor profile for chronic non-communicable diseases: results of a community-based study in Kerala, India. Indian J Med Res. 2010;131:53-63.
Aldahhasi GA, Alzaidi RS, Althobaity WF, Alahmad SM, Abo El-Enin HA. Prevalence of using folk medicine and/or natural products in the treatment of hypertension problems compared with medicinal drugs in KSA. J Fam Med Prim Care. 2022;11(11):7168-7176. doi: http://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1277_22
Ayele AA, Tegegn HG, Haile KT, Belachew SA, Mersha AG, Erku DA. Complementary and alternative medicine use among elderly patients living with chronic diseases in a teaching hospital in Ethiopia. Complement Ther Med. 2017;35:115-119. doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2017.10.006
Cheung CK, Wyman JF, Halcon LL. Use of complementary and alternative therapies in community-dwelling older adults. J Altern Complement Med N Y N. 2007;13(9):997-1006. doi: http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2007.0527
Peltzer K, Pengpid S, Puckpinyo A, Yi S, Anh LV. The utilization of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine for non-communicable diseases and mental disorders in health care patients in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016; 16:92. doi: http://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-016-1078-0
Aziato L, Antwi HO. Facilitators and barriers of herbal medicine use in Accra, Ghana: an inductive exploratory study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016;16:142. doi: http://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-016-1124-y
Vooradi S, Mateti U. A systematic review on lifestyle interventions to reduce blood pressure. J Health Res Rev. 2016;3(1):1. doi: http://doi.org/10.4103/2394-2010.173558
Liwa AC, Smart LR, Frumkin A, Epstein HAB, Fitzgerald DW, Peck RN. Traditional herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2014;16(6):437. doi: http://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-014-0437-9
Liwa A, Roediger R, Jaka H, et al. Herbal and Alternative Medicine Use in Tanzanian Adults Admitted with Hypertension-Related Diseases: A Mixed-Methods Study. Int J Hypertens. 2017;2017:5692572. doi: http://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5692572
Bell RA, Suerken CK, Grzywacz JG, Lang W, Quandt SA, Arcury TA. CAM use among older adults age 65 or older with hypertension in the United States: general use and disease treatment. J Altern Complement Med N Y N. 2006;12(9):903-909.
doi: http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2006.12.903
Awodele O, Agbaje EO, Abiola OO, Awodele DF, Dolapo DC. Doctors’ attitudes towards the use of herbal medicine in Lagos, Nigeria. J Herb Med. 2012;2(1):16-22.
doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.hermed.2012.02.002
Hassali MA, Saleem F, Shafie AA, et al. Assessment of general public perceptions toward traditional medicines used for aphrodisiac purposes in the state of Penang, Malaysia. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2012;18(4):257-260. doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.06.001
Leach MJ, Page AT. Herbal medicine for insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2015;24:1-12. doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2014.12.003
Tribess B, Pintarelli GM, Bini LA, et al. Ethnobotanical study of plants used for therapeutic purposes in the Atlantic Forest region, Southern Brazil. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;164:136-146. doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2015.02.005
Tsabang N, Yedjou CG, Tsambang L, et al. Treatment of Diabetes and/or Hypertension Using Medicinal Plants in Cameroon. Med Aromat Plants. 2015;Suppl 2:003. doi: http://doi.org/10.4172/2167-0412.S2-003
Kretchy IA, Owusu-Daaku F, Danquah S. Patterns and determinants of the use of complementary and alternative medicine: a cross-sectional study of hypertensive patients in Ghana. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014; 14:44. doi: http://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-14-44
Hsieh CF, Huang SL, Chen CL, et al. Increased risk of chronic kidney disease among users of non-prescribed Chinese herbal medicine in Taiwan. Prev Med. 2012;55(2):155-159. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.06.003
Liu LY, Feng B, Chen J, et al. Herbal medicine for hospitalized patients with severe depressive episode: A retrospective controlled study. J Affect Disord. 2015;170:71-77. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.08.027
Ndhlala AR, Stafford GI, Finnie JF, Van Staden J. Commercial herbal preparations in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: The urban face of traditional medicine. South Afr J Bot. 2011;77(4):830-843. doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2011.09.002
Vickers KA, Jolly KB, Greenfield SM. Herbal medicine: women’s views, knowledge and interaction with doctors: a qualitative study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2006;6(1):40. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-6-40
Wilkinson R, Garden E, Nanyonga RC, et al. Causes of medication non-adherence and the acceptability of support strategies for people with hypertension in Uganda: A qualitative study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2022;126:104143. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104143
Olisa NS, Oyelola FT. Evaluation of the use of herbal medicines among ambulatory hypertensive patients attending a secondary health care facility in Nigeria. Int J Pharm Pract. 2009;17(2):101-105.
Boima V, Ademola AD, Odusola AO, et al. Factors Associated with Medication Nonadherence among Hypertensives in Ghana and Nigeria. Int J Hypertens. 2015;2015:205716. doi: 10.1155/2015/205716
Fakeye TO, Tijani A, Adebisi O. A survey of the use of herbs among patients attending secondary-level health care facilities in southwestern Nigeria. J Herb Pharmacother. 2007;7(3-4):213-227. doi: 10.1080/15228940802152901
Kifle ZD, Yimenu DK, Kidanu BB. Complementary and alternative medicine use and its associated factors among hypertensive patients in Debre Tabor General Hospital, Ethiopia. Metab Open. 2021;12:100132. doi: 10.1016/j.metop.2021.100132
Golden J, Kenyon-Pesce L, Robison J, Grady J, Guerrera MP. Disclosure of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study. Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2023;9:23337214231179839. doi: 10.1177/23337214231179839
Fung FY, Linn YC. Developing traditional Chinese medicine in the era of evidence-based medicine: current evidence and challenges. Evid-Based Complement Altern Med ECAM. 2015;2015:425037. doi: 10.1155/2015/425037
Kanjanahattakij N, Kwankhao P, Vathesatogkit P, et al. Herbal or traditional medicine consumption among Thai workers: patterns of use and therapeutic control in chronic diseases. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):258. doi: 10.1186/s12906-019-2652-z
Agbabiaka TB, Wider B, Watson LK, Goodman C. Concurrent Use of Prescription Drugs and Herbal Medicinal Products in Older Adults: A Systematic Review. Drugs Ageing. 2017;34(12):891-905. doi: 10.1007/s40266-017-0501-7
James PB, Kamara H, Bah AJ, Steel A, Wardle J. Herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients attending public and private health facilities in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2018;31:7-15. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.01.001
Palileo-Villanueva LM, Palafox B, Amit AML, et al. Prevalence, determinants and outcomes of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine use for hypertension among low-income households in Malaysia and the Philippines. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022;22(1):252. doi: 10.1186/s12906-022-03730-x
Izzo AA, Di Carlo G, Borrelli F, Ernst E. Cardiovascular pharmacotherapy and herbal medicines: the risk of drug interaction. Int J Cardiol. 2005;98(1):1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2003.06.039
Ridgman WJ. Statistical Methods, 8th edn, by G. W. Snedecor & W. G. Cochran. xx + 503 pp. Ames: Iowa State University Press (1989). $44.95 (hard covers). ISBN 0 8138 1561 6. J Agric Sci. 1990;115(1):153-153. doi: 10.1017/S0021859600074104
Rahayu, Y.Y.S., Araki, T., Rosleine, D., Factors affecting the use of herbal medicines in the universal health coverage system in Indonesia. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2020; 260, 112974.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2020.112974
Hughes, G.D., Aboyade, O.M., Okonji, C.O., Clark, B., Mabweazara, S.Z., Comparison of the prevalence of non-communicable diseases and traditional herbal medicine use in urban and rural communities in South Africa. Adv. Integr. Med. 2021; 8, 136–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aimed.2020.11.002