Utilization of Complementary Medicine among Patients with Cardiovascular Disease  in Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Mohammad Hossein Sharifi; Salman Mohammadi; Naseh Pahlavani; Ali  Ghaffarian-Bahraman; Sara Darabi; Mohammad Hossein Nikoo; Mohammad Ebrahim Zohalinezhad

doi:10.18502/tim.v9i1.15085

Mohammad Hossein Sharifi Research Center for Traditional Medicine and History of Medicine, Department of Persian Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Salman Mohammadi Nutritional Health Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
Naseh Pahlavani Health Sciences Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
Ali Ghaffarian-Bahraman Occupational Environment Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
Sara Darabi Research Center for Traditional Medicine and History of Medicine, Department of Persian Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Mohammad Hossein Nikoo Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Mohammad Ebrahim Zohalinezhad Research Center for Traditional Medicine and History of Medicine, Department of Persian Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/tim.v9i1.15085

Keywords: Complementary and alternative medicine; Traditional Persian medicine; Cardiovascular disease; NYHA classification; Left-ventricular ejection fraction; Traditional medicine

Abstract

Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) has been widely used globally, but limited data are available on the use of CAM in Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). The present study aimed to evaluate CAM use in CVD patients. The present cross-sectional study was performed in Shiraz, Iran, during the summer of 2021. Cardiovascular patients aged ≥ 18 years were included in the study. Demographic information on left ventricular ejection fraction and satisfaction with CAM utilization was collected using validated questionnaires. A total of 304 patients (194 males and 110 females) were recruited for this study. The frequency of patients identified as CAM users was 56.9% (n = 173). Patients with implanted pacemakers were less likely to use CAM than others (OR = 0.50, p = 0.031). Meanwhile, the likelihood of CAM utilization was approximately 2 and 4 times higher in the patients categorized in class I of the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification compared to those in the second and third classes, respectively. Most CAM users used herbs, dietary supplements, and praying to prevent diseases, while Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) remedies and acupuncture were more commonly used to treat acute and chronic illnesses, respectively. Praying for health, herbal therapy, and dietary supplementation were the most popular CAM types utilized by Iranian CVD patients. However, future investigations seem to be required to determine the exact physiological impacts, probable adverse effects, and long-term benefits of CAM therapies in this population.