Sixty percent of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Japan have used dietary supplements or health foods

Abstract

We conducted a survey on the use of dietary supplements and health foods (DS/HF) in definite rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated by RA specialists. Among 296 patients (male 48, female 248), 179 patients (60.5%) had experience of DS/HF use. Prevalence of DS/HF use was significantly higher in female than in male patients (63.7% versus 43.8%). Overall, patients who have used DS/HF were significantly younger than those who have not used; it was particularly notable in female patients. The proportion of current users was significantly higher in those less than 5 years from diagnosis than those who had been diagnosed for 5 years or more. Products of herbs or algae (44.1%) and components of cartilage (40.8%) were the most popular DS/HF. Primary sources of product information were family members or friends (56.4%) and advertisements in the mass media (34.1%). Of the users, 73.7% did not disclose DS/HF use to their physicians. The users expected alleviation of the symptoms (35.2%) and improvement of health (34.6%). However, 59.2% of the users were unsure of the benefits. In conclusion, physicians should be aware of the high prevalence of DS/HF usage in patients with RA in Japan.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Severity Index and Its Relation to Comorbidity in Egyptian Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

“…Similar to previous studies likeIkuyamaet al 11 , our study showed that more women (79.6%) than men (20.4%) suffer from RA. Also, in our study, the average patient age was 43.86 ± 11.4 years, which is similar to the average age of patients with RA inSineglazova et al study 12 …”

“…A total of 1142 patients files were reviewed , the diagnoses of RA based on the 1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria were included in the study, their ages ranged from years and the duration of the RA disease ranged from (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20) years.…”

Nutrient Intake in Postmenopausal Rheumatoid Arthritis Women with Osteoporosis: Results from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…This may be due to the fact that dietary factors associated with severity or treatment response are generally disregarded in clinical practice. This can be assumed from the previous study [2] that 70%∼ 80% of RA patients were not willing to disclose their use of dietary supplements or health foods because of their physician's negative feedback or no feedback at all. Our study showed that the nutrient intake of RA subjects in total did not differ from that of non-arthritic individuals in postmenopausal women.…”

“…Well-balanced nutrition itself can be very helpful, however it is usually overlooked either in clinical practice or investigations. One study in Japan showed that information of dietary supplements or health foods is only obtained in a small portion (1.7%) of RA patients from health professionals [2]. Moreover, the relationship between nutritional status and progression of RA remains poorly understood [3].…”

Vitamin D, inflammatory markers, steroid use and systemic factors: which is the culprit in rheumatoid arthritis associated osteoporosis?

“…Similar to previous studies, the current study showed that more women (88%) suffer from RA. Ikuyama and his colleagues [25] conducted a study involving RA patients. In their study, the prevalence of women was significantly higher (84% women).…”