Prevalence of traditional medicines use and adverse events: A population-based cross-sectional survey in Burkina Faso

Abstract

The population of Burkina Faso, a West-African country, relies heavily on traditional medicines for health care. However, data on the prevalence of use and occurrence of adverse events, as well as the factors associated with them, are lacking. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of use and occurrence of adverse events associated with traditional medicines in Burkina Faso. This was a population-based cross-sectional study conducted from October 1 to November 30, 2020, in four randomly selected health districts: Nongr-Massom (Centre region), Tenkodogo (Centre-East region), Diapaga (East region) and Dafra (Hauts-Bassins region). An anonymous questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data, data on the use of traditional medicines and on the occurrence of adverse events. The Chi-square (χ 2 ) test was used to assess associated factors. The prevalence of use of traditional medicines in the 12 months preceding the survey was 85%. It was associated with health region ( p < 0.001), occupation ( p < 0.001) and area of residence ( p = 0.046). The frequency of adverse events was 14.7%. Events mainly included gastrointestinal disorders (57.7%), nervous system disorders (15.2%) and skin disorders (7%). The report of adverse events was associated with duration of treatment ( p < 0.001), gender ( p = 0.033) and monthly income ( p = 0.043). Burkina Faso's population is highly exposed to traditional medicines. It is therefore imperative to develop a system for monitoring the risks associated with this exposure.