RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Large-scale studies of utilization of medical services among patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are lacking. We aimed to investigate the usage of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) among these patients in Taiwan. METHODS: We analyzed one million samples from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. Patients (n = 1814) newly diagnosed with AD in 2001-2010 were divided into TCM users (n = 528) and non-TCM users (n = 1286). RESULTS: Compared with non-TCM users, TCM users were younger, had a higher female:male ratio and higher utilization rate of Western medicine. The median interval between diagnosis and the first TCM consultation was 7.92 months. Donepezil and rivastigmine were commonly prescribed medications. Chinese herbal medicine was the most popular treatment among TCM users. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the specific usage patterns of TCM and non-TCM medical services among patients with AD. The information could be used for improving the healthcare of patients with AD.
Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer/tratamento farmacológico , Doença de Alzheimer/epidemiologia , Medicina Tradicional Chinesa/estatística & dados numéricos , Fatores Etários , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Inibidores da Colinesterase/uso terapêutico , Donepezila , Medicamentos de Ervas Chinesas/uso terapêutico , Feminino , Humanos , Indanos/uso terapêutico , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Piperidinas/uso terapêutico , Rivastigmina/uso terapêutico , Fatores Sexuais , Taiwan/epidemiologia , Tempo para o Tratamento , UrbanizaçãoRESUMO
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease accounting for severe morbidity and mortality in children. To determine the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used to treat pediatric asthma, we conducted a nationwide population-based study by analyzing a cohort of one million randomly sampled patients from the beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance Program in Taiwan from 2002 to 2010. Children under 18 years of age with newly diagnosed asthma (ICD-9-CM code: 493, N = 45 833) were enrolled, and 57.95% (N = 26 585) of them had used TCM. The number of TCM users was significantly more than that of non-TCM users in school-age children. The most commonly prescribed TCM formula is Ding-chuan-tang, or Xing-ren (Semen Armeniacae Amarum) for the single herb. Our study is the first to reveal characteristics and prescription patterns of the use of TCM in children with asthma. Further research is needed to elucidate the efficacy and safety of these Chinese herbal products.