Complementary And Alternative Medicine Use Among HivInfected Patient’s On Anti-Retroviral Therapy In The Niger Delta Region, Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Since the first case of HIV/AIDS was reported in Nigeria in 1986, HIV/AIDS has continued to penetrate the fabrics of all sectors of the Nigerian population. The plight of HIV/AIDS patients in Nigeria is made worse by inadequate supply of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs. Methods: A prospective study was done between April and October 2013. Using a systematic sampling technique, 290 adult consenting male and female HIV/AIDS patients aged between 18 and 69 years who were on ARV drugs were recruited. They were assessed for use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) along with ARV drugs. Two research assistants assisted in data collection in a rural hospital using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: Of the 290 subjects recruited, 259 (89.3%) had their data analyzed, while data for 31 (10.7%) subjects were discarded due to incomplete information. Subjects consisted of 101(39.0%) males and 158(61.0%) females. Of the 101 males 50(19.3%) used CAM; compared to 100(38.6%) females who also used CAM (p= 0.028). The mean age of CAM users was 34.39 (sd=10-62) years. Subjects between 29 and 49 years constituted the largest number of HIV-infected respondents who also used CAM. Subjects in the low income cadre patronized CAM more than those in the middle or higher income cadre (p=0.004). Herbal products were the most preferred CAM used by subjects in this study (31.7%); and was followed by faith and prayer healing (14.7%). Five (1.9%) subjects drank urine as a form of therapy. Most subjects in this study preferred CAM because of the naturalness of their source and also because of concern that ARV drugs alone may not effectively manage their HIV/AIDS infection. Conclusions: CAM use is high among HIV/AIDS patients on ARV drugs in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Because of the possible risks of interactions following the concurrent use of CAM and ARV drugs, care givers involved in the care of HIV/AIDS patients should be vigilant in this regard.