Fuzzy-based dosage model of aqueous decoction of <i>Adansonia digitata</i> for the management of sickle cell anaemia patients in African Traditional Medicine

Abstract

In recent time, fuzzy logic-based systems have been deployed in the area of orthodox medicine; especially in situations where precision is most valuable such as kidney transplant, diagnosis of ailments, drug prescription, etc. However, in the area of traditional medicine, no much attention has been given to its enhancement with the use of information technology especially in the area of herbal prescription. In this study, a fuzzy logic-based system is presented, which is used to simulate a prescription model for determining the precise herbal dose suitable for the management of patients suffering from Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Data on the management of SCD patients were collected from forty Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs) at four different local government areas of Edo State, Nigeria. The mass of herb and volume of solvent were used as input parameters to design the dosage model, and simulated using MATLAB. The Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) results obtained for some patients were compared to the prescription given by the TMPs. The results show that the model will eliminate the ordeals of imprecision associated with the management of SCD patients in Nigeria using herbs.

Keywords: African Traditional Medicine, Traditional Medicine, Traditional Medical Practitioners, Sickle Cell Disease, Fuzzy logic, Measurement