Alternative Meds for Osteoarthritis Lower Among Men

Men are less likely than women to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) alone or concomitantly with conventional medications for knee osteoarthritis, researchers reported in the Journal of Women’s Health (2012;21:1091-1099).

In a study of 2,679 men and women with radiographically confirmed tibiofemoral osteoarthritis in at least one knee, Rachel Jawahar, MPH, PhD, of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, and colleagues found that 21.9% and 19% of men used CAM alone or in combination with conventional medication, respectively, compared with 23.9% and 27.3% of women.

Compared with women, men were less likely to report use of mind-body interventions (5.7% vs. 14.1%), topical agents (9.5% vs. 16.1%), and concurrent CAM strategies (9.9% vs. 18%), the study found

From the November 01, 2012 Issue of Renal and Urology News