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

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.