Complementary And Alternative Medicine Use In Turkish Patients With Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a condition characterized by abnormal and excessive electrical discharges of cortical neurons resulting sudden, repetitive, event-triggered seizures. Epilepsy is most common neurologic disorder during childhood and the second most common neurological disorder following cerebrovascular diseases in adults. Use of CAM in persons with epilepsy is high, even compared to individuals with other chronic health conditions.

We aimed to determine the prevalence, types, and factors influencing use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in adults with epilepsy.

The subjects of this descriptive study consisted of 96 patients with epilepsy in the outpatient neurology clinic of a hospital in Erzurum, Turkey. Frequency, percentage and other descriptive statistics were used to describe and summaries data.

While most patients preferred CAM use (76%) for treatment of epilepsy patients some did not (24%). Spiritual practices was the most commonly used therapy in 66.7 % of patients. Although 74% of the subjects reported that they were satisfied with their use of CAM, the majority (97%) did not discuss the use of these therapies with their primary physicians. It was determined that variables such as gender, education level, residential area, marital status, and level of income and affected the use of CAM (P < .05).

Turkish patients with epilepsy frequently use CAM in addition to standard medical therapy. Nurses caring for patient with epilepsy should initiate a dialogue about usage of CAM, discussing the potential adverse effects of CAM and the patient's therapeutic goals.