Abstract
Severe fatigue, pain, deformity, and disability, are the major concerns for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The extreme pain experienced by the patients often force them to experiment with various indigenous substances including animals and animal products. However, there is little evidence on the use of animals or animal products as traditional medicine in RA. Hence, this study was aimed to explore the experience and perception of patients toward the use of animals and animal products for the treatment of RA. A qualitative, explorative study was conducted at the out-patient-department of Rheumatology of a tertiary care medical college and hospital at Cuttack, Odisha, India. Out of 113 patients with RA, 18 patients gave history of use of animal and/or animal products and were selected for in-depth interviews. The content analysis methods were used for data analysis. Four major categories emerged: (1) prevailing patterns of traditional treatment of RA using animals, (2) beliefs and values behind the traditional treatment of RA, (3) sources and traditional learning pathway of indigenous practices on RA, and (4) ethical aspects of the indigenous practice of using animals and/or animal products in the treatment of RA. This study revealed the practice of eating dead animals to get relief from RA. However, there was hardly any perceived positive outcome of the practice; which indicates the lack of awareness of rational, scientific, treatment, and prevalence of irrational and unethical practices for the treatment of RA. Hence, community awareness, social mobilization, and newer screening tools are necessary to improve the timely detection and prevention of irrational treatment practices among RA patients.
Highlights
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders
A total of 113 Indepth Interviews (IDIs) was conducted to explore the careseeking behavior of patients with rheumatoid arthritis attending the out-patient department of Rheumatology from August 2016 to April 2017
The IDIs were conducted in Odia language by the first author, who is fluent in the local language and has an educational background in nursing and public health
Summary
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders. It commonly affects joints of fingers, wrists, feet, and ankles. The chronic inflammation leads to joint destruction and permanent deformities. The major concern with RA is persistent pain and other adverse health consequences as a result of chronic systemic inflammation [1, 2]. Timely and rational treatment of RA is important [2]. There is always a delay in seeking treatment by patients from suitable and trained healthcare providers [3]. The choice of untrained healthcare providers with inadequate knowledge about RA often leads to delay in referral to a rheumatologist [4]
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