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Research: de SOUZA SILVA and COLLEAGUES,
Listed in Issue 217
Abstract
de SOUZA SILVA and COLLEAGUES, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Sergipe, Aracaju 49100-000, Brazil. farmsilva@uol.com.br reviewed the published literature describing the use and aspects of herbal supplements by elderly patients.
Background
The authors aimed to survey the published literature for articles that describe the use of herbal supplements by elderly patients and to summarize important aspects of selected studies, including most commonly used supplements, study type, study location, and potential hazards of herbal supplement use.
Methodology
Literature searches were conducted on three scientific/medical databases: Medline, Web of Science, and Scopus. Search results were examined for articles involving the use of herbal products in the elderly population that met selection criteria.
Results
Initial searches yielded 1297 articles. Of these original results, only 16 met specific selection criteria. Twelve (75%) of studies identified were performed in North America. Nine studies (56.25%) were conducted in the United States. Seven of the studies were cross-sectional (43.8%). The most commonly reported were Gingko biloba, garlic, ginseng, aloe vera, chamomile, spearmint, and ginger. Of these, gingko and garlic are the most commonly used among community-dwelling elderly. Both of these supplements have the potential to interact with anticoagulants and produce bruising or bleeding problems.
Conclusion
The use of herbal supplements is common among the elderly, a population that takes a disproportionate share of prescription medications compared to that taken by younger populations. Among the problems uncovered by these studies was a lack of dialogue between medical professionals and patients about the use of herbal supplements. Prescribers need to consider the use of herbal supplements and discuss the matter with their elderly patients when making decisions about pharmacological treatments.
References
de Souza Silva JE, Santos Souza CA, da Silva TB, Gomes IA, Brito GD, de Souza Araújo AA, de Lyra-Júnior DP, da Silva WB and da Silva FA. Use of herbal medicines by elderly patients: A systematic review. Arch Gerontol Geriatr.;59(2):227-233. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2014.06.002. September - October 2014 Epub Jul 9 2014.
