Integrative Medicine Reports (May 2022)

Complementary and Integrative Medicine Use in Pediatric Patients with Sickle Cell Disease

  • Lisa Thaniel,
  • Suvankar Majumdar,
  • Anqing Zhang,
  • Deepika S. Darbari

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1089/imr.2022.0041
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 1, no. 1
pp. 24 – 28

Abstract

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Introduction: Pain or vaso-occlusive crisis is the hallmark of sickle cell disease (SCD). Standard treatment for SCD pain includes hydration, as well as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioid pain medications. Although most studies show that opioids provide short-term relief, they are associated with side effects including constipation, opioid-induced hyperalgesia, and risk of dependence and addiction. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) use in a population of pediatric patients with SCD, the type of CIM used, and sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with their use of CIM. Methods: Parents of children with SCD were recruited to the study during clinic visits and hospitalizations. They were asked to complete a 22-item self-administered survey about their child's use of CIM. Descriptive statistics were used to generate frequencies or percentages for categorical variables. Chi square or Fisher's exact test was performed with a p-value <0.05 to test the association between CIM and sociodemographic characteristics in the collected sample. Results: Of the 99 parents who completed the survey, 86% reported using CIM. The most commonly used techniques were prayer (68%), massage (53%), heat (30%), relaxation techniques (24%), aroma therapy (23%), exercise (21%), and herbal medicine (16%). Nineteen percent of foreign born and 15% of U.S. born parents reported using herbal and folk remedies. Twelve parents reported using spiritual healing, reiki, or laying on of hands, and eight parents reported using acupuncture and mindfulness. Nine percent of parents reported using cannabidiol products and 4% of parents reported using cannabis for their child's SCD. Fifty-five percent of parents reported that CIM was helpful. Conclusions: Health care providers should be prepared to integrate CIM into their discussions with patients and families and provide more opportunities for families to learn about safe CIM approaches.

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