title: [Pilot study for the surveillance of adverse reactions to herbal preparations and dietary supplements].
abstract: Use of herbal medicine is increasing in Italy. Herbal preparations are generally used as self-medication, often in the wrong belief that "natural" can be equated with "harmless". Whereas use of these products has been associated with serious adverse events, due to the quality of the raw materials used, to interactions with synthetic drugs or to their use in particular conditions, such as pregnancy or lactation. To monitor herbal preparation use in the population is necessary in order to point out possible adverse reactions. This was the objective of this pilot study, together with the urgency to inform health personnel and patients on the correct use of these products. After this experience we strongly believe that a system to assess the safety of herbal preparations is needed.
authors.affiliation: Centro Nazionale di Epidemiologia, Sorveglianza e Promozione della Salute, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. fmenniti@iss.it
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Menniti-Ippolito
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazzanti
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Firenzuoli
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raschetti
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000139:chemically induced; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016907:Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000707:Anaphylaxis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D001628:Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006077:Government Agencies / Q000458:organization & administration; D041743:Herb-Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000139:chemically induced; D012651:Self Medication; D016636:Telefacsimile
chemical_list: D028321:Plant Preparations