title: Herbal product use in non-HIV and HIV-positive Hispanic patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The primary endpoint of this study was to determine the prevalence of herbal product use by a sample of Mexican-American patients in the El Paso, TX region. Even though medicinal plants are popularly assumed to be a safe and natural alternative to conventional medications, some herbal products may pose a potential health risk to the consumer. Currently, there are few studies related to herbal use by Mexican Americans and none in HIV patients living on the U.S./México border.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective observational study was conducted in hospitals and clinics throughout the El Paso region area. A semistructured interview was conducted by trained bilingual interviewers. A 45-item bilingual questionnaire was used to collect the information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 439 non-HIV patients as well as 35 patients afflicted with HIV participated in the study. Seventy-nine percent (347/439) of non-HIV and 71% (25/35) of HIV patients reported using herbal products. The percentages of herbal use among the two groups did not show any statistically significant differences (p=0.29), and both groups reflected that herbal products are commonly used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of herbal products was very common among non-HIV (79%) and HIV-positive (71%) Mexican-Americans patients in the El Paso region.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at El Paso/University of Texas at Austin Cooperative Pharmacy Program, USA. jrivera@utep.edu
authors.forename: José O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González-Stuart
authors.forename: Melchor
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ortiz
authors.forename: José C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Jaime P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Anaya
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology*; D041743:Herb-Drug Interactions; D029001:Herbal Medicine; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas