The Impact of Herbal Drug Use on Adverse Drug Reaction Profiles of Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Background. The main objective was to determine the impact of herbal drug use on adverse drug reactions in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Methodology. Patients receiving first-line ART from the national roll-out program participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants were interviewed and a data collection sheet was used to collect information from the corresponding medical record. Results. The majority (98.2%) of participants were using at least one herbal drug together with ART. The most common herbal remedies used were Allium Sativum (72.7%), Bidens pilosa (66.0%), Eucalyptus globulus (52.3%), Moringa oleifera (44.1%), Lippia javanica (36.3%), and Peltoforum africanum (34.3%). Two indigenous herbs, Musakavakadzi (OR = 0.25; 95% CI 0.076–0.828) and Peltoforum africanum (OR = 0.495; 95% CI 0.292–0.839) reduced the occurrence of adverse drug events. Conclusions. The use of herbal drugs is high in the HIV-infected population and there is need for pharmacovigilance programs to recognize the role they play in altering ADR profiles.

Prevalence and Factors Associated With Herbal Medicine Use among HIV Positive Patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in Selected Hospitals in Nairobi County

“…Bepe et al (2011) observed that abdominal pain (odds ratio = 3.0, p-value < 0.01) and rash (odds ratio = 2.5, p-value < 0.02) are the adverse events significantly associated with herbal drug use during antiretroviral therapy. The findings of this study are unlike what was observed by Mudzviti et al (2012) who reported that Patients who used the indigenous herbs Musakavakadzi and Peltoforum africanum were less likely to develop adverse drug reactions compared to patients who did not use the herbs.…”

“…A study by Masenyetse et al (2015) established that 37% of the patients on Highly active antiretroviral drugs experienced adverse drug reactions. The findings of this study correspond with those of Mudzviti et al (2012) who observed that 70.4% of the patients experienced at least one ADR during ART treatment.…”

Hepatitis B Co-Infection is Associated with Poorer Survival of HIV-Infected Patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in West Africa

“…It is known that the relative risk of anti-tuberculous therapy-induced hepatotoxicity is higher in HBV/HIV co-infected patients than in HIV mono-infected individuals [ 28 ]. Symptomatic liver disease (particularly, jaundice) frequently prompts patients to seek alternative drugs, a common feature in African HIV populations [ 29 , 30 ], and/or which lead to treatment interruption and change to less potent regimens. If this had contributed in deaths in the present study cohort, such patients might have died at home, or away from the hospital affiliated to APIN and therefore may have be under represented in our data set.…”

Coconut Oil Extract Mitigates Testicular Injury Following Adjuvant Treatment with Antiretroviral Drugs

“…Clinical and animal experimental studies have ascertained the negative influence of HAART on sperm functional parameters, sexual hormones, testicular structure, germinal cell development, as well as testicular carbohydrate and lipid metabolism (9,11). With the high financial burden of sustaining compliance with antiretroviral regimens, there is a major challenge of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) (12) most especially among sub-Saharan Africa necessitating majority of them resorting to the use of traditional medicines and products (13,14) for improvement of their well-being. Besides, scientific interest towards the use of medicinal plants has been on the rise due to their perceived effectiveness during treatment, relatively low costs and minimal side-effects (15).…”