A Study of the Co-Administration of Herbal and Western Medicines to Hospitalized Patients with Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Objectives The combined use of herbal and Western medicine is increasing. However, herbal medicine is highly likely to interact with Western medicine making it important to understand the effects of co-administration. This study investigates the ratio of patients who take Western medicine with herbal medicine, the types of medicines commonly prescribed together, and the results of hospital examinations. Methods We investigated patients who were hospitalized at Kyung Hee University Korean Medical Hospital for at least one day from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017. There were some inclusion criteria. First, we chose patients aged 19 and over. Second, we chose patients who were diagnosed with osteoarthritis (OA) with diagnosis codes M13, M15, M17 according to KCD-7. Third, patients had liver function tests, renal function tests, and general hematology tests performed at least two times during hospitalization. Results Among a total of 131 OA patients, 32 (24.4%) patients were treated with herbal-Western medicine combination therapy. The most commonly prescribed herbal medicine was Daegalwhal-tang, and the most commonly prescribed Western medicine was celecoxib. In the laboratory findings, all liver function tests, renal function tests, and general hematology tests showed no difference compared to admission day. There were also no differences between herbal medicine single treatment and herbal-Western medicine combination treatment. Conclusions From these results, we suggest that herbal medicine single treatment and herbal-Western medicine combination treatment for OA patients does not cause adverse effects. Keywords: herbal medicine, adverse effect, osteoarthritis, drug interaction, combined prescription rate