Traditional complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) use among PLHIV on antiretroviral medication.

Autor: Denu MK; Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA. Mawulorm.denu@umassmed.edu., Buadu MAE; Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA., Adrah F; Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC, USA., Normeshie CA; Department of Family Medicine, University of Virginia Medical School, Charlottesville, VA, USA., Berko KP; Department of Infectious Diseases, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: AIDS research and therapy [AIDS Res Ther] 2024 Nov 20; Vol. 21 (1), pp. 84. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Nov 20.
DOI: 10.1186/s12981-024-00673-w
Abstrakt: Background: Traditional complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) are products and practices that differ from conventional allopathic medicine. There continues to be an increase in the use of these methods of treatment in developed and developing countries worldwide. This often owes to the perceived ability of these treatment methods to cure chronic medical conditions like HIV. However, TCAM use among PLHIV may be associated with reduced compliance with antiretroviral medications, resulting in poor viral load suppression and increased risk for opportunistic infections. The concomitant use of antiretroviral drugs and TCAM practices may be influenced by some sociodemographic and health-related factors.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of TCAM use and examine the sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with its use among PLHIV on antiretroviral medications at the Infectious Disease unit of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among attendants at an adult HIV clinic. 420 study participants were selected by systematic sampling. Data related to TCAM use, sociodemographic and health-related factors were collected using a standardized questionnaire and patient chart review. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the association between TCAM use, sociodemographic and health-related factors.
Results: Of the 420 study participants, majority were female (76.2%) and urban community dwellers (77.9%). 77.4% of participants had been diagnosed with HIV for [Formula: see text] 5 years and had been on anti-retroviral medications for more than 5 years. The prevalence of TCAM use among PLHIV was 25.2%. No sociodemographic or HIV-related health factor was significantly associated with TCAM use in the study population.
Conclusion: TCAM use was high among PLHIV. No sociodemographic or health-related factor was found to be associated with TCAM use. Further studies employing a qualitative approach using key informant interviews and focused group discussions are needed to explore reasons for its use. Care providers and policy-makers should look beyond sociodemographic and health-related factors in addressing TCAM use among PLHIV.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviewed and approved the study protocol on 27th May,2020. (Protocol number KBTH-IRB /00047/2020). All study methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations including the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from all study subjects. Consent for publication: N/A. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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