Knowledge and prevalence of use of saw palmetto and other herbal products among men with prostate disease in Trinidad and Tobago
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the knowledge and prevalence of use of saw palmetto and other herbal products among men attending the urology outpatient clinic at San Fernando General Hospital. Subjects and methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study carried out between February and May 2015. A structured, interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data from randomly selected men with prostate cancer or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and who were part of our outpatient clinics. This questionnaire contained sections on sociodemographic details as well as knowledge and attitudes towards herbal supplements with emphasis on saw palmetto. Data were compiled in Microsoft Excel and analysed using SPSS version 20. Results: Two hundred (200) men were interviewed. The mean age of the population was 69 years (Std. Dev. = 8.06) and most were from the south (56.5%) or central (19%) regions of Trinidad. 52% had BPH and 34.5% had prostate cancer. Overall, 85 men (42.5%) indicated use of herbal supplements of whom 53 (62.3%) used saw palmetto either alone or in combination with other products. Among men who had heard of saw palmetto or used it, 25% believed it may be used to reduce the risk of or treat prostate cancer. Thirty-six percent (36%) were of the opinion that saw palmetto is effective in treating the symptoms of an enlarged prostate. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the use of herbal products is common among men with prostate disease in Trinidad and…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 85 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Treatment of non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: facing age-related comorbidities and drug–drug interactions
- The Efficacy of Flogofilm® in the Treatment of Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis as an Adjuvant to Antibiotic Therapy: A Randomized Prospective Trial
- Inhibition of growth and contraction in human prostate stromal cells by silencing of NUAK1 and -2, and by the presumed NUAK inhibitors HTH01-015 and WZ4003
- Effectiveness and Safety of a New Nutrient Fixed Combination Containing Pollen Extract Plus Teupolioside, in the Management of LUTS in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy: A Pilot Study
- Extract from Cucurbita pepo improves BPH symptoms without affecting sexual function: a 24-month noninterventional study
- Aquablation vs. holmium laser enucleation of the prostate for benign prostatic hyperplasia: a 150-patients prospective comparative multicenter study
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.