Prevalence, Perception and Predictors of Concomitant Herbal Medicine Use among HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Patients in Metekel Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: The use of herbal medicine is common in Ethiopia. However, evidence on the extent and predictors of concomitant use of herbal medicine with conventional treatment among HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis patients is limited. OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent of concomitant use of herbal medicine with conventional therapy and associated factors among HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis patients in Metekel Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2020. HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis patients who visited the health facilities during the study were interviewed face-to-face using a structured and pretested questionnaire. The descriptive statistics and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted using SPSS version 25. A P-value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: 412 patients on conventional treatment were included in this study; 355 (86.2%) were HIV patients, and 57 (13.8%) were TB patients. More than half, 217 (52.7%) participants reported using herbal medicine while on conventional therapy. Among those who claimed to have used herbal medicines, 32 (14.7%) received herbal medicine from traditional healers. About four of five herbal users did not disclose their use to their healthcare providers. The type of health facility on follow-up (P=0.03), disease status (P=0.01), occupation (P=0.02), discontinuing ART (P=0.03), and encountering side (P=0.04) were the determinant factors for the use of herbal medicine among our study participants. CONCLUSION: In the Metekel Zone, concomitant consumption of herbal medication is common among HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis patients. Furthermore, most patients did not disclose the healthcare practitioners about their herbal use. Therefore, healthcare practitioners must assess and counsel patients regarding the potential adverse effects and herb-drug interaction to optimize therapy.