Complementary and alternative medicine usage in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever

Aims: Colchicine is mainstay in the treatment of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF). In chronic diseases, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) methods can be chosen as a nonmainstream treatment. We aimed to identify the prevalence and the associated factors for the use of CAM in patients with FMF. Methods: Data of 165 patients were obtained from patients' medical records and face-to-face interviews. Using any type of CAM methods and patients' having harm and/or benefit were analyzed. The Morisky Green Levine Scale was used to assess the treatment adherence and the Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire was used to assess the patient's beliefs about medicines. Results: Fifty-six (33.9%) patients were using CAM. The frequency of patients with the concomitant disease was higher in the CAM user group (35.7%) compared to the CAM non-user group (18.3%) (x2=6.075, p=0.014). The frequency of patients who had a positive family history for FMF was higher in the CAM user group (78.6%) compared to the CAM non-user group (58.7%) (x2=6.450, p=0.011). The number of patients who reported benefit from CAM was 42 (75.0%). The median score of concern about colchicine was 3.2 among CAM users, whereas 2.8 among CAM non-users (p=0.035). No relationship was found between the compliance with colchicine treatment and the usage of CAM (p=0.313). Conclusions: Concomitant diseases in patients, FMF in relatives, and concerns about colchicine may rise the tendency to CAM using. Patients should be well-informed about that CAM methods cannot be an alternative to colchicine. Keywords: Colchicine, complementary and alternative medicine, Familial Mediterranean Fever