Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in paediatric rheumatology: A European perspective

Objective: To analyse the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in children with rheumatic diseases, treated at a paediatric rheumatology centre in Italy. Methods: Parents of children with different kinds of chronic rheumatic diseases anonymously completed a questionnaire about their children's past or current use of CAM. Two groups of patients were analysed: Group A consisted of children who were still attending the centre; Group B consisted of children who had not attended the clinic for more than one year. Results: 150 completed surveys were analysed: 22 paediatric patients (14.7%), 10/100 in group A and 12/50 in group B, used CAM to treat their diseases. The therapies used the most were homeopathy, herbal remedies, vitamins and minerals. We observed a significantly greater use of CAM among patients who had not attended the clinic for more than one year (24%) as compared to those who were regularly checked (10%) (p=0.02). Parents' use of CAM was significantly related to its use for their children (p=0.001). A poor outcome, probably related to the exclusive use of alternative treatments, was observed in three out of six patients who had completely stopped using traditional immunosuppressive drugs. Conclusions: Physicians should be aware of the use of CAM particularly in patients who skip their regular check-ups. The use of CAM to treat childhood rheumatic conditions in Italy seems to be less frequent than in North America. © Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 2012.