Prevalence, knowledge, and attitude toward complementary and alternative medicine use among patients with chronic hepatitis C in Upper Egypt

Background
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) encompasses different types of treatments and procedures that are based on traditions and are not scientifically sound; however, they are still used to 'complement' physician-prescribed drugs. Unfortunately, we lack local studies about CAM usage in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Egypt.
Aim
The aim was to establish CAM prevalence among patients with CHC attending Assuit University Hospital and explore the knowledge and attitude toward using CAM among patients with CHC while using the interferon-based therapy and direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs).
Patients and methods
A cross-sectional survey using a screening questionnaire was used to collect data from patients attending Assiut University Hospital from April 2015 to April 2016.
Results
Of 750 patients, knowledge about CAM was positive among 610 (81.3%) patients, a positive attitude toward CAM was seen among 570 (76%) patients, and 479 (63.9%) patients stated using CAM. Of the 250 patients who used DAAs, 194 (77.6%) have used CAM, and 19 (9.7%) of them would continue on CAM after the use of DAAs.
Conclusion
A total of 479 (63.9%) patients used CAM in the study (285 undergoing interferon-based therapy and 194 at DAAs). Approximately, two-thirds of patients have used more than one type of CAM during the course of their disease. A small percentage (9.7%) of patients is still willing to continue using CAM even after the use of DAAs.