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 Tobago and that saw palmetto is the most common product used. It also highlights the prevalence of unsubstantiated beliefs as well as the uncertainty about the efficacy of saw palmetto.

African Journal of Urology (2017) 23, 249–252