142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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311476
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Utilization among Stroke Patients in Western Cape South Africa—PURE cohort study

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 8:30 AM - 8:50 AM

Gail Hughes, DrPH, MPH , South African Herbal Institute and Medicine Institute, University of Western Cape, Belville, South Africa
Oluwaseyi Aboyade, PhD, MSc , South African Herbal Science and Medicine Institute, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Happy Mamadisa , South African Herbal Science and Medicine Institute, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Thandi Rose Puoane, DrPH , School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Introduction

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a major cause of disability, with about 15 million cases reported world-wide annually, and Sub Saharan Africa it is also the third leading cause of death.  In South Africa, about 60% of the population use traditional herbal medicines (THM), and there is scant knowledge about the use of complementary and alternative medicines (i.e. THM) for stroke. The objective of this study was to identify THM among self-reported stroke (SRS) participants from PURE study.

Method

From the existing Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study in South Africa, 95 participants were selected cross-sectionally. Males and females over age of 18 yrs from Langa township with self-reported history of stroke (SRS) were queried about health status and THM use.

Results

SRS participants were over of 45 yrs (95.8%); female (67%); with secondary education(52%). Fifty percent of participants reported history of THM use with 34% being current users, and 44% indicating taken occasionally. THM was self-administered (26%); and taken as a tea (80%). Participants reported using the THM primarily for managing diabetes; lowering blood pressure and cholesterol while few reported usage for management of stroke symptoms.

Discussion

SRS patients use THM primarily for specific diagnosed conditions and not necessarily specific to stroke. There is a need for patients to disclose to health care professionals about their use of THM to avoid adverse events and drug/herb interactions. Better knowledge of medical pluralism and self-treatment with THM esp. in conjunction with conventional medicine is important for successful medical intervention for chronic and non-communicable diseases/conditions.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Epidemiology
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify traditional herbal medicine use among self-reported stroke participants from PURE study.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a public health professional for more than 25 years with training as an epidemiologist. Currently, I am a Professor and Director in the South African Herbal Science and Medicine Institute at the University of Western Cape in Cape Town South Africa.I trained at the University of California-Berkeley in Epidemiology with specialty in International Health for both her masters and doctorate. I have worked as international consultant for several agencies and non-profit organizations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.