Prevalence of pain and self-medication pattern of Paracetamol and NSAIDs among university students in United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Background: Most of individuals do not prefer consulting a physician when they suffer from mild to moderate pain or fever and they tend to get over the counter drugs (OTC) from the pharmacy. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) consumption pattern and self-medication behavior is a common practice especially during adolescence. Many self-medication behaviors were observed from individuals especially students which use NSAIDs frequently and that might lead to some unwanted effects due to improper knowledge and awareness. Although NSAIDs are considered as safe medications in general, but serious side effects are still present and can affect different parts of the body. Objectives: Our study aims to assess the correlation between several types of pain and self-medication pattern of Paracetamol and NSAIDs among university students in UAE. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted among individuals aged 17 years and above from different nationalities and specialties from June till July 2018. The data were obtained through a validated self-administrated questionnaire that was distributed as a hardcopy as well as online. Data collection took place in UAE universities targeting 345 university students. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and the results were considered significant at the 0.05 level with a 95% Confidence interval. Results: The current study results show that (67%) of individuals use pain medications to relief pain associated with headache. The majority of individuals reported that they suffer from pain at least one day weekly (26.4%). The pain that mostly led individuals to take pain medications is headache and it is accounts for (67%). The most frequently used pain medication is Paracetamol (80.9%) followed by Ibuprofen, Mefenamic acid and Diclofenac (35.4%, 17.1% and 13.6%) respectively. It was observed that (28.4%) of individuals use more than one pain medication at the same time. The results show that there was a significant correlation between the intake of Mefenamic acid for pain and individuals that reported the use of pain medications for menstrual pain [p=0.000, OR: 5.223, 95% CI: 2.73 - 9.96]. The significant intake of Aspirin for back pain [p=0.020, OR: 3.239, 95% CI: 1.159 - 9.05] and Diclofenac for both muscles pain and back pain back pain [p=0.000, OR: 3.061, 95% CI: 1.792 - 5.228), p=0.000, OR: 3.037, 95% CI: 1.789 - 5.15 respectively] and Paracetamol for both toothache and fever [p=0.002, OR: 1.220, 95% CI: 1.120 - 1.32 and p=0.044, OR: 1.137, 95% CI: 1.027 - 1.259 respectively]. The following NSAIDs showed a significant correlation with the intake of pain medications for toothache: Aspirin [p=0.018, OR: 3.167, 95% CI: 1.171 - 8.56], Ibuprofen [p=0.004, OR: 1.618, 95% CI: 1.201 - 2.17] and Diclofenac [p=0.000, OR: 2.692, 95% CI: 1.591 - 4.55]. Only Paracetamol was found to have a significant correlation for the use during fever [p=0.044, OR: 1.137, 95% CI: 1.027 - 1.259] while other pain medications were found to have a negative correlation. Conclusion: The majority of respondents use the pain medications to relief headache and the most frequently used pain medication was Paracetamol. A significant correlation was observed between the intake of Mefenamic acid for pain and individuals that reported the use of pain medications for menstrual pain as well as Aspirin intake for back pain, Diclofenac for muscles pain and back pain. Only Paracetamol was found to have a significant correlation for the use during fever while other pain medications were found to have a negative correlation.