Consumption of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with chronic kidney disease in Mexico

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between social determinants of health, diet quality and consumption of ACM in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Materials and methods: Cross-sectional analytical study conducted on patients enrolled in four Facebook groups and one Instagram group on social media focused on kidney disease, aged 18-75, both sexes, diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Socioeconomic, clinical and dietary variables were evaluated, as well as the types of ACM used. Quantitative variables were compared by ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test and Chi-square test.

Results: A total of 214 subjects were studied. Twenty-six percent of the sample did not use ACM; 52% used 1 to 3 MAC and 22% used more than 3 therapies. Herbal medicine with 111 subjects, followed by botanicals with 74 patients and meditation with 70 were the most used. Patients who consumed more than 3 alternative therapies were those with high purchasing power and schooling. The subjects who consumed 1 to 3 therapies were those who had more comorbidities. Those who consumed more than 3 therapies had less than 10 years with the diagnosis and their etiology was a chronic disease (DM2 - HTA).

Conclusions: The study underscores the importance of health professionals actively inquiring about the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in their patients with chronic kidney disease, considering the high prevalence of its use and potential adverse effects.

Key words: Chronic kidney disease, complementary medicine, alternative medicine, social determinants of health.