Evaluation of the use of complementary and alternative therapy in patients with psoriasis and acne vulgaris

Abstract

Background and Design: The aim of this study was to explore the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy in patients with acne vulgaris (AV) and psoriasis and their attitudes towards CAM. Materials and Methods: A total of 300 patients, including 150 patients with AV and 150 patients with psoriasis, were included in the study. The patients were randomly selected among the patients who were admitted to dermatology outpatient clinic. A face-to-face structured questionnaire about CAM was applied to the participants. The data obtained were expressed as mean ± standard deviation or number and percentage distribution. Chi-square test, t-test and Spearman correlation were used. Results: The most frequently used CAM treatment method was "herbal therapy" (52.7%). It was determined that most of the patients (87.8%) using CAM had experienced side effects from the medical treatment. Conclusion: CAM has been widely used in patients with AV and psoriasis despite dissatisfaction. Dermatologists should be aware of the tendency of patients to use non-traditional therapies and should guide patients to access the benefits and risks of CAM use.

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Patients with Acne Vulgaris and Factors Perceived to Trigger the Disease

“…[ 11 ] In these studies, the rate of CAM use in patients with AV is reported in a very wide range from 14.8% to 71.3%. [ 8 13 ] To our knowledge, there is only one study in the literature investigating CAM use specifically in patients with AV. [ 14 ] In that study, of the 657 patients with AV, 77% were reported to have a history of CAM use, which is similar to our finding [74.41%].…”

“…In the literature, some publications reported a high rate of CAM use in women, whereas others did not find a relationship between CAM use and gender. [ 6 13 14 15 ] In a study conducted in Korea, 90% of the AV patients referred to CAM when their lesions increased and their disease worsened. [ 16 ] This is similar to our results concerning the higher use of CAM among the patients with more severe acne and those with higher CADI scores.…”

“…In addition, consistent with our findings, many previous researchers did not determine a relationship between CAM use and the duration of the disease involvement, patient age, and education level. [ 6 13 14 ]…”

“…Whereas the use of vinegar was the second most common method in our study, it was reported in previous studies at a rate of 5.9% among the commonly used non-herbal treatments or as apple cider vinegar. [ 13 14 ] In other studies, it was found that herbal topical treatments were frequently used in AV patients at a rate of 62%–100%. [ 13 15 ] In the current study, although this rate was not as high as in previous studies, it was still very high at 34.63%.…”

“…[ 13 14 ] In other studies, it was found that herbal topical treatments were frequently used in AV patients at a rate of 62%–100%. [ 13 15 ] In the current study, although this rate was not as high as in previous studies, it was still very high at 34.63%. This shows that patients mostly rely on treatments derived from plants.…”