Use of complementary and alternative medicine among clinically defined osteoarthritis patients in Mongolia

Abstract

Background: There is a raising issue of the safety and efficacy of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in osteoarthritis. However, little is known about the use of CAM among osteoarthritis patients in Mongolia. This study explored prevalence of and factors associated with CAM use. Methods: Using cross-sectional design, interviews of conveniently selected 277 patients with osteoarthritis were carried out at the Center for Rheumatology, Arthrology and Arthro-rehabilitation of the First Central Hospital of Mongolia. A questionnaire was developed based on the previous studies. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: CAM use was prevalent in 66.1% of patients interviewed, with 44 percent reporting use of both CAM and conventional medicine. Most common used modalities of CAM were bone-setting (59.8%), massage (53.1%) and rubs (50.3%). Two out of three patients (67.6%) reported concurrent use of CAM with conventional medicine. Factors positively associated with CAM use were age, employment status, having affected knee joint, duration of disease, experiencing pain and deformed joints. CAM was perceived safer than conventional medicine, while patients did not know about the safety of use of CAM in combination with conventional medicine. Conclusion: CAM use is common among Mongolian osteoarthritis patients, mainly in combination with conventional medicine. Patients and healthcare providers are needed to be aware of the evidence on effectiveness and possible risks of CAM use alone and together with conventional treatment.