Clinical outcomes in hypertensive or diabetes patients who concomitantly use complementary medicines in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The use of complementary medicines in addition to medical prescription by patients with hypertension, diabetes and other chronic diseases presents a challenge for healthcare providers in Nigeria and globally. There is very little data on the clinical outcomes in these patients.
Objectives: To evaluate clinical outcomes in hypertensive or diabetic patients who use complimentary medicines in Lagos Nigeria .
Design: Observational cross-sectional study.
Setting: Lagos University Teaching Hospital Medical Outpatient Clinics.
Subjects: Five hundred patients attending Lagos University Teaching Hospital Medical out-patient clinics with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus or hypertension or diabetic hypertensive were studied.
Main outcome measures: The effect of complementary medicines use on blood pressure and blood glucose control were evaluated.
Results: The mean arterial blood pressure of non-users of complementary medicine was 115.329 mmHg and that of users was 105.138mmHg. Also the mean fasting blood sugar of non-users was 129.515mg/dl and that of users was 131.453mg/dl. (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Although not statistically significant, complimentary medicines were found to be of advantage to hypertensive patients but not diabetic patients.