Herbal medicine use among patients with viral and non-viral Hepatitis in Uganda: prevalence, patterns and related factors

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of 310 individuals diagnosed with hepatitis attending the gastroenterology clinic in Mulago National Referral Hospital between April and June 2018

Variable	Variable	Frequency(N = 310)	Percentage (%)
Age groups	18–24	77	24.8
	25–34	100	32.3
	35–44	74	23.9
	45–54	47	15.2
	≥55	12	3.9
Gender	Male	171	55.2
Gender	Female	139	44.8
Area of residence	Rural	59	19.0
Area of residence	Urban	251	81.0
Region of origin	Foreign	16	5.2
	Central	129	41.6
	Western	59	19.0
	Northern	46	14.8
	Eastern	60	19.4
Religion	Protestant	118	38.1
	Roman Catholic	129	41.6
	Islam	30	9.7
	Others^a	33	10.6
Education status	Not educated	4	1.3
	Primary	90	29.0
	Secondary	145	46.8
	Post-secondary^b	71	22.9
Current employment	No	123	39.7
Current employment	Yes	187	60.3
Type of occupation	Formal	60	19.4
	Informal	148	47.7
	Not employed	102	32.9
Current diagnosis	HBV^c	289	93.2
	HCV^d	12	3.9
	HBV & HCV	4	1.3
	Drug-induced	3	1.0
	Alcoholic hepatitis	2	0.6
Duration of illness	Less than 6 months	169	54.5
	6–12 months	67	21.6
	13–24 months	34	11.0
	> 24 months	40	12.9
On treatment for hepatitis	No	148	47.7
On treatment for hepatitis	Yes	162	52.3
Kind of treatment	Conventional only	150	48.4
	Herbal only	4	1.3
	Conventional&Herbal	8	2.6
	Not on treatment	148	47.7
Duration of treatment	Less than 1 month	37	11.9
	1–6 months	79	25.5
	7–12 months	24	7.7
	13–24 months	16	5.2
	> 24 months	6	1.9
	Not applicable	148	47.7

^aOthers included members of the Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah Witness faiths
^bPost-secondary included both tertiary and vocational levels
^cHBV- Hepatitis B virus
^dHCV-Hepatitis C virus

ISSN: 2662-7671