Objective

This study aims to assess the prevalence of herbal medicine (HM) use and factors influencing HM usage including the identification of the main plants consumed by patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in central-western Mexico.

Design

A total of 1862 patients with diabetes were surveyed in public and private hospitals in four states (Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacan, and San Luis Potosi) of the central-western region of Mexico. The chi-square test was used to assess associations between HM use and demographic characteristics, such as glucose levels, presence of complications and comorbidities, as well as the selected therapy to treat T2DM.

Results

The prevalence of HM use (59.2%) in patients with T2DM was mainly associated with education level (p = 0.001), time of diagnosis of T2DM (p = 0.004), presence of complications (p < 0.001) and comorbidities (p = 0.018) and the use of insulin (p < 0.001). These patients report a higher consumption of herbal medicine compared to those on glycemic control (p < 0.001). The most frequently used medicinal plants to treat T2DM were nopal (54.9%), moringa (26.7%), and aloe (22.1%).

Conclusion

The prevalence of HM use to treat T2DM in west-central Mexico is high (59.2%) and its consumption is mostly carried out without the recommendation of a health professional (91.9%). The use of HM increases mainly when the patient uses insulin, during complications of the disease or in patients with an inadequate glycemic control.

中文翻译：

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墨西哥中西部地区成人糖尿病中草药的使用

客观的

本研究旨在评估草药 (HM) 使用的流行情况和影响 HM 使用的因素，包括确定墨西哥中西部 2 型糖尿病 (T2DM) 患者食用的主要植物。

设计

在墨西哥中西部地区的四个州（瓜纳华托州、哈利斯科州、米却肯州和圣路易斯波托西州）的公立和私立医院共调查了 1862 名糖尿病患者。卡方检验用于评估 HM 使用与人口统计学特征之间的关联，例如葡萄糖水平、并发症和合并症的存在，以及治疗 T2DM 的选定疗法。

结果

T2DM 患者中 HM 使用率（59.2%）主要与教育水平（p = 0.001）、T2DM 诊断时间（p = 0.004）、并发症（p < 0.001）和合并症（p = 0.018）相关) 和胰岛素的使用 (p < 0.001)。与血糖控制患者相比，这些患者报告的草药消耗量更高（p < 0.001）。治疗 T2DM 最常用的药用植物是胭脂 (54.9%)、辣木 (26.7%) 和芦荟 (22.1%)。

结论

在墨西哥中西部，使用 HM 治疗 T2DM 的流行率很高（59.2%），其消费大多是在没有卫生专业人员推荐的情况下进行的（91.9%）。HM 的使用主要在患者使用胰岛素、疾病并发症期间或血糖控制不足的患者中增加。