Hospital admissions due to adverse reactions to Chinese herbal medicines.
Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) are commonly used in Hong Kong. To determine the importance of adverse reactions to CHM as a cause of medical admissions in Hong Kong, all 1701 patients admitted to two general medical wards at the Prince of Wales Hospital over an eight-month period were prospectively studied. In only three patients (0.2%) was the admission attributed to the adverse effects of CHM. These were life-threatening in two cases ('dazao'-induced angio-neurotic oedema and liquorice-induced hypokalaemic periodic paralysis). Despite this low incidence of adverse reactions, in communities where CHM are commonly used, it is important that there is a continuing effort to collect new information on the safety of these compounds.
Chan
T Y
TY
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital.
Chan
A Y
AY
Critchley
J A
JA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal