Why lupus patients use alternative medicine

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Integrative Medicine
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• Patients with chronic conditions like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often explore complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
• Understanding patient motivations for CAM use is crucial for integrated care.
• Distinguishing between disease-specific and general health motivations can inform patient support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the reasons why patients with SLE utilize alternative medicine.
• To differentiate between patients using alternative medicine for disease-specific treatment versus general health reasons.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 192 Chinese SLE outpatients at a tertiary rheumatology center.
• Data collection included demographics, traditional Chinese medication use, and the Rheumatology Attitudes Index.
• Patients were categorized into disease-specific users and general-health users based on their stated intentions.

Main Results:

• The majority of SLE patients reported using alternative medicine.
• Two distinct user groups emerged: disease-specific users (38.0%) and general-health users (28.6%).
• Disease-specific users were more likely to be Chinese first-language speakers, exhibit greater learned helplessness, and have an earlier age of diagnosis compared to nonusers.

Conclusions:

• Motivations for alternative medicine use in SLE patients are diverse.
• Learned helplessness and primary language significantly influence disease-specific alternative medicine use in SLE patients.
• General-health users' motivations were not associated with these specific factors.