Perception, prevalence, and pattern of complementary and alternative medicine use among adults living with sickle cell disease in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: Nigeria has the largest population of people with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). About 2.3% of the population suffer from the disease while about 25% are healthy carriers of the sickle cell gene. Painful crises are usually the common cause of frequent hospitalization among people living with SCD, hence, majority of these patients are now turning to the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM).

Objectives: This study determined the perception, prevalence and pattern of CAM use among adults living with SCD in Lagos, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 301 SCD. Adults in Lagos State, from April to November 2019. Respondents were interviewed using a semi-structured pretested questionnaire. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using SPSS Version 22. Level of significance was set at p<0.05%.

Results: Majority of respondents were between 25-34 years with a mean age of 30 ± 7.8 years. Three-fifth 181(60.1%) of respondents had good knowledge of CAM, while 177 (58.8%) had a positive perception towards CAM use. All respondents 301(100%) confirmed the use of CAM. The commonest CAM used was relaxation 238 (24.4%). Knowledge of CAM showed statistically significant associations with marital status, level of education and income (p<0.05). Respondents who had secondary level of education and above were less likely to use CAM compared to those who had lower education (OR= -1.011; 95% CI = 0.159-0.831)

Conclusion: CAM use is very common among adults with SCD. There is need for evidence-based research to evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of CAM.