The Frequency of Using Herbal Medicines Among Patients With Hypertension in Kerman, Iran, 2012-2013

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haleh Tajadini ◽  
Kouros Divsalar ◽  
Mitra Mehrabani ◽  
Ali Akbar Haghdoost ◽  
Zahra Esmaili ◽  
...  

Introduction. The use of medicinal plants has dramatically increased in recent years. Given the increasing rate of hypertension and medical plants usage by these patients and considering drug interactions due to concomitant use with drugs, the present study aims to evaluate the rate of medicinal plants usage in hypertensive patients. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study (descriptive–analytical) in which 650 hypertensive patients referring to the subspecialty clinic of Kerman were questioned about medicinal plants usage by a medicinal plants questionnaire. Among these patients, there were 612 who consented to participate. After the variables were described, the data were finally analyzed using Stata 12. Results. The average age of those using these drugs in the past year was 58.8 ± 10 years. Of the total number of participants using medicinal plants, there were 58 males (23.5%) and 122 females (33.4%). There were 129 participants (72.5%) using medicinal plants through self-administration, 17 participants (9.5%) on experienced users’ advice, 16 participants (9%) as administered by herbalists, and 11 participants (6%) as administered by doctors. However, the most important resources for using a drug that prevents hypertension were family and friends (74 participants; 41.5%) and doctors (13 participants; 7.3%). According to the results, there was no significant difference between the level of education and medicinal plants usage ( P = .95); however, there was a significant difference between gender and medicinal plants usage ( P = .009). Discussion. According to the results indicating the relatively high prevalence of medicinal plants usage and their arbitrary use by hypertensive patients without consulting a specialist, it seems necessary to plan for more effective and secure public education and train people to provide herbal drug services for various diseases with hypertension being the most common one.

Author(s):  
Mohammad Hashem Hashempur ◽  
Seyed Hamdollah Mosavat ◽  
Mojtaba Heydari ◽  
Mesbah Shams

Abstract Background Despite growing demand for medicinal plants, there is little data about their use by patients with dyslipidemia. We aimed to determine the prevalence, pattern, and associated factors for the use of medicinal plants among patients with dyslipidemia. Methods A 17-item semi-structured questionnaire was filled out by 195 patients with dyslipidemia in a cross-sectional study carried out in two academic endocrinology clinics in Shiraz, Iran. The questionnaire comprised of three main domains of demographic data (6 questions), clinical data (2 of them), and data related to the use of medicinal plants (totally 9 questions). Results A total of 77.4% of patients took medicinal plants. The most common medicinal herbs used by dyslipidemic patients were Zataria multiflora, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Zingiber officinale. Duration of dyslipidemia was significantly longer in herbal users than non-herbal users (p=0.04). Patients believing that concomitant use of conventional drugs and herbal preparations had synergic positive effects in addition to those persuaded that herbal preparations possessed less side effects, were significantly more likely to use medicinal plants (p=0.008 and 0.005, respectively). Additionally, most of the medicinal herb users (87.4%) changed neither the pattern nor the dosage of their medications all during herbal preparations use. Conclusions This study demonstrated a high prevalence of medicinal plants’ use among patients with dyslipidemia, which was associated with the duration of dyslipidemia, patients’ viewpoints about herbal preparations’ synergic positive effects, and their fewer side effects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Lima Melro ◽  
S. A. Fonseca ◽  
J. M. Silva Júnior ◽  
S. P. B. Franco ◽  
M. A. Souza ◽  
...  

Abstract This study aimed to assess diagnosis of Unique Health System (SUS) users profile with regard to herbal medicine. This is a cross-sectional study with observational data collection conducted in the city of Marechal Deodoro, through a semi-structured questionnaire with questions related to socioeconomic data, use, and knowledge of medicinal plants and herbal medicines and satisfaction with the use of medicinal herbs (MH) and interactions of phytotherapeutic drugs (PD). Among the topics, 86.89% of users used herbal medicines often, especially lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.). It was also observed that the plants are generally used as a sedative (21.74%) and as tea (87.84%). 82.32% of respondents claim to have acquired the knowledge of herbal medicine through a family member and 85.36% make use of medicinal plants without having received any information on the use of MH and PD. 61% of the plants described that coincided with the form of use and therapeutic properties found in the literature. With regard to satisfaction by treatment with MH and PD, it was found that 56.67% are satisfied. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to this aspect of usage, in order to avoid possible drug interactions or adverse reactions resulting from the incorrect use.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-60
Author(s):  
Dragana Ignjatovic-Ristic ◽  
Ana Solujic ◽  
Andrea Obradovic ◽  
Katarina Nikic-Djuricic ◽  
Marija Draskovic ◽  
...  

Abstract Research over the past twenty years has shown that the attitudes of health care workers and students towards people who are suffering from schizophrenia have become more negative. The aim of our study was to investigate the attitudes of medical and pharmacy students towards patients with schizophrenia and explore the differences in attitudes between study groups and students in different years. Materials and methods: Second- and fifth-year medical and pharmacy students from the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Kragujevac were included in an observational, prospective, cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 113 students from the pharmacy and medical schools who were chosen via random sampling. The students completed a two-part questionnaire. Th e first part contained questions about sociodemographic characteristics, whereas the second part was a translated version of the Mental Illness: Clinician’s Attitudes (MICA) v4 scale. Results: There is a statistically significant difference (р<0.05) in the attitudes towards people with schizophrenia between second- and fifth-year medical and pharmacy students (with lower scores in both groups in fifth-year students). Of the total number of students who had lower summed scores on the Likert scale, 51.3% had previously finished medical high school, whereas 28.3% had previously finished regular high school. Conclusion: Our results showed a statistically significant difference in attitudes towards people with schizophrenia between second- and fifth-year students as well as a difference related to previous high school education. This stresses the importance of levels of knowledge about schizophrenia to reducing the stigmatization of patients who suffer from this disorder.


Author(s):  
Nusrat Bano ◽  
Muhammad Anwar Khan ◽  
Uzma Asif ◽  
Jennifer de Beer ◽  
Hawazen Rawass ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: To assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in medical students, and to analyse effects of demographics and nomophobia on depression, anxiety and stress. Method: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from April 1 to May 23, 2019, and comprised male and female medical students aged 19-25 years. Data was collected using a demographic information form, the 21-item depression, anxiety and stress scale and the 20-item nomophobia questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. Results: Of the 230 students, 108(47%) were boys and 122 (53%) were girls. The overall mean age was 21.93+1.80 years. Anxiety, depression and stress was reported in 168 (74.6%), 158 (70.2%) and 127 (55.9%) of the students. Extremely severe anxiety, depression and stress were self-reported by 92 (40.9%), 38 (16.8%) and 16 (7.04%) students. There was a significant difference in the distribution of subjects within different levels of anxiety across gender (p<0.05).  Higher anxiety and stress scores were observed in 78 (33.9%) students with severe nomophobia. Differences in the levels of anxiety and stress with regards to type of residence and nomophobia levels were significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: There was high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress associated with gender, nomophobia levels and residence type. Key Words: Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Medical, Nomophobia.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Shahjalal ◽  
Ahmed Hossain ◽  
Most Fatematujjuhora ◽  
Arifa Sultana ◽  
Shatabdee Hawlader ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Imposter Phenomenon (IP) is a highly prevalent behavioural health issue affecting individual professional performance and regular activity. The current study focused on evaluating IP prevalence and assessing the factor contributing to IP among undergraduate students of Dhaka city. This was an analytical cross-sectional survey performed among undergraduate students between August to December 2020. The Young Imposter Scale (YIS) was used to determine the dichotomous assessment for the presence or absence of IP. Results Among the recruited 1,139 students, 378 (33%) had imposter syndrome. The prevalence was relatively higher (34%) among males compared to females (32%). Around one third (31.6%) reported that they face problems in sleeping. Our analysis shows that the sleeping problem of the student (p=<0.01) and academic year (p=0.04) had a statistically significant association with IP. Students who completed two academic years were more likely to have IP (AOR:1.18; 95% CI: 1.01-1.41). There was a statistically significant difference in the experience of IP across who had a sleeping problem than those who didn’t (AOR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.25-1.90). Conclusion Our study revealed a relatively high prevalence of IP among undergraduate students, affecting their professional lives. Awareness-raising programmes should be arranged at the university level to help students to cope up with IP.


2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (9) ◽  
pp. 1843-1851 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. L. WANG ◽  
L. LI ◽  
S. M. LI ◽  
J. Y. HUANG ◽  
Y. P. FAN ◽  
...  

SUMMARYPig farmers and veterinarians have high prevalence of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) due to the occupational livestock exposure, while few reported this association on slaughterhouse workers. We conducted this cross-sectional study to explore the phenotypic and molecular characteristics ofS. aureusand MRSA in slaughterhouse pig-related workers and control workers in Guangdong Province, China. Participants were interviewed and provided two nasal swabs. Swabs were tested forS. aureus, and isolates were further tested for antimicrobial susceptibility, virulence genes and multi-locus sequence typing. Compared with control workers, pig-related workers have significantly higher prevalence of MRSA carriage (adjusted odd ratio (aOR) 3·70, 95% CI 1·63–8·40). The proportions of MRSA resistant to clindamycin, erythromycin, tetracycline or chloromycetin were significantly higher in pig-related workers than in control workers. The predominant phenotypes ofS. aureuswere resistant to penicillin, clindamycin, erythromycin and tetracycline. Three MRSA CC9 isolates with livestock-associated characteristics (resistance to tetracycline and absence of immune evasion cluster (IEC) genes) were detected in pig-related workers but not in control workers. For human-associated CCs (CC7, CC59, CC6, and CC188), there was no significant difference in IEC profile or antimicrobial resistance between the groups. These findings reveal that there may be a potential risk for livestock-to-human transmission of LA-MRSA and human-to-human transmission of human-associated MRSA.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Musa Umar ◽  
Bashir Mohammed Abubakar ◽  
Haladu Ali Gagman ◽  
Abubakar Sadiq Yusuf

A Cross-sectional Study was carried out to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal (G.I.)  helminths parasites in slaughtered cattle at Azare abattoir, Katagum Local Government Area, Bauchi State, North-Eastern Nigeria. One hundred and twenty faecal samples were examined using the floatation and sedimentation method. Out of the total samples tested, G.I. helminths infections were detected in 62samples tested, giving an overall prevalence of 51.6%. Class nematodes are the most diverse class (56.5%) and then followed by trematodes (35.5%), while cestodes are the least prevalent (8.1%). There was a statistically significant difference in P-value >0.05.  The sex revealed that males (52.6%) are more susceptible to G.I. helminths infection than females (50.0%) even though there is no statistical difference at P-value >0.05. However, the prevalence of G.I. helminths to age revealed a statistical difference at P-value >0.05, where the young have the highest prevalence of 59.5%.  The Red Bororo breeds had the highest prevalence of 75%, while the least was recorded in White Fulani and Sokoto Gudali, 40% each. There was a statistically significant difference at P-value >0.05. This study revealed that Fasciola spp (15%) is the most prevalent G.I. helminths parasites detected, followed by Oesophagostomum spp (11.7%); Haemonchus spp (9.2%); Strongyloides spp (8.3%), Schistosoma spp (3.3%); and Moniezia spp (1.67%). Our findings from the present study revealed a high prevalence of G.I. helminths species affecting cattle in Azare and Nigeria as a whole. Therefore, there is a great need for proper advocacy on the need for appropriate management, regular deworming practices, and improved cattle hygiene to boost animal production. This will help in curbing great lost to Nigeria's economy and the world in general.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253421
Author(s):  
Milena Ražnatović Đurović ◽  
Janko Janković ◽  
Milica Đurović ◽  
Jelena Spirić ◽  
Slavenka Janković

Background Acne is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease with a high prevalence in adolescent and early adult years. The aim of this study was to assess the self-perceived beliefs of Montenegrin secondary school pupils regarding the acne aggravating and ameliorating factors. Methods This cross-sectional survey of the pupils was conducted during October and November 2020 in four randomly selected public secondary schools in Podgorica, Montenegro. All 500 pupils were asked to fill in a questionnaire that included questions on age, sex, presence of acne, perceived acne aggravating and ameliorating factors, and sources of their information about acne. Results A total of 500 pupils, 234 (46.8%) boys, and 266 (53.2%) girls, aged 14−17 years, participated in the study. Acne was self-reported in 249 (49.8%) pupils, whereas 251 (50.2%) did not report acne. Factors most often believed to aggravate acne were inadequate face washing (85.0%), hormones (84.0%), sweets (82.0%), greasy food (72.6%), makeup (71.2%), and stress (67.8%). Overall the most prevalent acne ameliorating factors were cosmetic treatment (80.4%), increased water consumption (77.6%), a diet change to a healthier food choice (77.4%), and being on school holidays (62.2%). Girls reported more frequently that genetics, stress, sweets consumption, inadequate face wash, and makeup are acne exacerbating factors, whilst cosmetic treatment, increased water consumption, smoking, and being on school holidays are acne ameliorating factors. Boys more frequently considered the benefit of losing weight. There was no statistically significant difference between pupils with and without acne in perceived factors, except for cosmetic treatment. Those with acne more frequently believed in the benefits of cosmetic treatment. Conclusions Many adolescents’ self-perceived beliefs about factors that aggravate and ameliorate acne are myths and misconceptions without evidence-based justification. More efforts are needed to educate pupils about the acne aggravating and ameliorating factors, its health-related consequences, and the treatment possibilities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62
Author(s):  
Sabita Pandey Bashyal ◽  
Narbada Thapa

Background: Hypertension has a great impact on cardiovascular disease and death all over the world. Low and middle-income countries including Nepal are facing higher disease burden because of complications arise from uncontrolled hypertension. Patient’s knowledge and perception play an important role for the proper management of hypertension. There are limited studies related to knowledge and perception of hypertension, therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of hypertension among hypertensive patients at a tertiary hospital in Nepal. Methods: This is a hospital based, mixed-method, cross-sectional study which was conducted among 400 hypertensive patients in the outpatient department of Sahid Gangalal National Heart Center, Kathmandu, Nepal. Patients who were diagnosed as hypertensive at least 6 months before were selected by simple random sampling technique and were interviewed using semi- structured questionnaire, and interview schedule from March to May 2019. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.    Results: The mean age of the respondents was 58.86 ±11.07 years and nearly half (47.8%) of them were in the age group of 60 years and above. More than half, (58%) were male, 77.8% were overweight, about half of them had a significant family history of hypertension with first degree relatives. Regarding the knowledge, the total mean score was 16.16±3.032 and had significant difference with age (p= 0.002), gender (p=.000), education (p=0.002), occupation (p=0.000), and duration of HTN diagnosis (p=0.000). Majority of them perceived hypertension as less serious illness and had significant difference with education level (p=0.001) and duration of HTN diagnosis (p=0.000). Conclusions: Majority of participants had inadequate knowledge of hypertension and they perceived hypertension as less severe illness which might hinder the adherence to treatment recommendations. Hence, mass awareness program strategies might be helpful to increase hypertension related knowledge and perception.


Author(s):  
SUBHASIS MITRA ◽  
DALIA MITRA ◽  
ABHIJIT DUTTA

Objectives: In the past few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically invaded the globe with its high infectivity. In this situation, people’s mental health is of utmost importance but poorly reported, especially in patients. We conducted this cross-sectional study among laboratory-confirmed hospitalized patients to evaluate the burden of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Methods: We used depression, anxiety and stress scale 21 (DASS-21) to evaluate respective mental health components. A total of 114 hospitalized patients participated in this study. Of which, 65.79% were male patients. Results: The reported depression, anxiety, and stress were 77.2%, 84.2%, and 54.4%, respectively. An inverse relationship of the total DASS-21 score was found with the age of the participants. Conclusion: Such a high prevalence of mental health outcome suggests the need for further evaluation and addressing the problem with immediate concern.


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