Abstract
BackgroundThe use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients is increasing worldwide. It can affect optimum glycemic management. This study was to determine the rate and influencing factors of CAM use among diabetes patients as well as their effect on glycemic control.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among T2DM patients attending the outpatient department of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. It is a tertiary hospital in the northern part of Bangladesh. A face-to-face interview with a pretested structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Chi-square (χ2) test and multivariate logistic regression model were used in this study for data analysis.ResultsOut of 244 T2DM patients, 86 (35.2%) used CAM. Multivariate logistic regression model showed that lower family income group (AOR = 8.7, 95% CI: 2.15–35.22, p-value 0.002), having no institutional education (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.17–9.87, p-value 0.025) and having diabetes for more than five years (AOR = 2.821, 95% CI: 1.34–5.94, p-value 0.006) were the most influential predictors of CAM use. The most commonly used CAMs were herbal products (67.4%) and homeopathic medicine (37.2%). Most of the CAM users (72%) were influenced by friends, neighbors, and family members. The most common reasons behind CAM use were reported to be the belief that CAM helped control diabetes better (44.2%) and easy availability and lower cost (27.9%). More than half of the users reported the efficacy of CAM as ‘nothing significant’, while others reported as somewhat good. 14% of CAM users experienced side-effects, especially gastrointestinal upset. It was observed that using CAM was associated with poor glycemic control (AOR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.14–4.44, p-value 0.018).ConclusionOur study demonstrated that some modifiable factors are associated with the use of CAM, and it cannot maintain good glycemic control. So, patients should be made aware of the ineffectiveness and bad effects of CAM by enhancing educational and poverty-alleviating programs.
Highlights
The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients is increasing worldwide
There was no previous evidence of the prevalence of CAM use among Bangladeshi T2DM patients
Socio-demographic characteristics A total of 244 diabetes patients were enrolled in this study
Summary
The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients is increasing worldwide. Recent advances in diabetic care have made good glycemic control possible, but yet modern medications and essential lifestyle modifications cannot cure diabetes rather patients have to continue lifelong therapy These issues are making patients interested in various complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) [4], which refers to ‘a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine’ [4, 5]. The use of such alternative therapies is increasing in different countries [4, 6,7,8]. Different categories of CAM were reported to be used by diabetes patients including biological therapies like an herbal and dietary supplement, alternative medical systems like acupuncture or ayurveda, energy therapies like reiki, manipulative and body-based systems like chiropractic or massage, and mind-body interventions like tai-chi or yoga [4, 10]
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