title: Features of complementary and alternative medicine use by patients with coronary artery disease in Beijing: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly used in China for the management of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, few studies have been conducted to investigate the prevalence, perceived effectiveness, types, and reasons of CAM use in patients diagnosed with CAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study design was adopted. Questionnaires were distributed at the outpatient cardiac clinics of four tertiary-level teaching general hospitals in Beijing. Quantitative data were analyzed using Student's t-test. Categorical data were analyzed using chi-square test. Logistic regression was employed to explore factors associated with the use of CAM as well as CAM use features in Chinese medicine (CM) hospitals when significant differences were found upon comparisons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From May to July, 2009, a total of 600 questionnaires were distributed, and 546 patients with a diagnosis of CAD responded with valid values and were included in the present study. CAM was used by 69.1% of the patients with CAD; the majority (75.9%) of these CAM users believes that CAM is effective. "Few side effects" (49.6%) was the main reason of CAM use; whereas "doubt of effect" (61.5%) was the main reason for non-use. Patent herbal medicine (90.7%) was the most commonly used CAM type. Compared with non-CAM users, CAM users tended to be older (p < 0.01), have a longer disease duration (p = 0.02) and better current health status. In addition, CAM users had significant lower odds for emergency admission and hospitalization within the past one year. Patients with CAD from CM and WM hospitals differ in CAM use frequency, types, perceived effectiveness, as well as reasons for CAM use or non-CAM use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggested a group of significant factors which could influence the use of CAM in patients with CAD. CAM use patterns differ in patients from CM and WM hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. fuyongchu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Fu-Yong
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Ze
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xing-Jiang
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hong-Xu
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires