Use of complementary medicines among HIV-infected children in Lagos, Nigeria

Background: Complementary medicine (CM) use is common among children with chronic illnesses such as epilepsy and asthma. Lack of data on the profile of CM use among children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection necessitated this study. Methods: Parents or caregivers of HIV-infected children attending the paediatric HIV-clinic in a teaching hospital in Lagos, Nigeria, were randomly selected and interviewed with a semi-structured (open-and close-ended) questionnaire. Clinical details of the patients were extracted from their case files. Results: A total of 187 parents/caregivers were interviewed. Most of the parents/caregivers (181; 96.8%) have used CMs for their children. Mind-body interventions (181; 36.6%) and biological products (179; 36.2%) were frequently used. Relatives, friends and neighbours influenced CM use in 37.1% of the children. CMs were used mostly to treat weight loss (79; 43.7%), cold (40; 22.1%), and fever (39; 21.6%). Conclusion: CM use is common among HIV-infected children in Lagos. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.