TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence, attitude and practice of self-medication among adolescents and the paradigm of dysmenorrhea self-care management in different countries
AU - de Sanctis, Vincenzo
AU - Soliman, Ashraf T.
AU - Daar, Shahina
AU - Di Maio, Salvatore
AU - Elalaily, Rania
AU - Fiscina, Bernadette
AU - Kattamis, Christos
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Mattioli 1885.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Self-medication (SM) is an important worldwide public health issue affecting children and adolescents. The pattern of SM varies in different communities, affected by factors such as age, sex, income, expense, self-care orientation, educational level and medical knowledge. It is a fairly common practice: for minor health problems, it often provides cheap, rapid, and convenient solutions, outside of the health care system of many countries. Painkillers, antipyretics, cough medicines, cold preparations, dermatological products, nutritional supplements and antibiotics are the drugs most frequently used. Potential risks include incorrect self-diagnosis, improper dosage, inappropriate choice of therapy, masking of severe disease and drug interactions. Lack of awareness of warnings and precautions, storage conditions, the recommended shelf-life and adverse reactions increase the risk of side effects. Little is known about the SM of dysmenorrhea by adolescent girls. Attitudes towards treatment are influenced by cultural, ethnic, and religious factors. Some girls discuss dysmenorrhea with family and friends, and the majority may not seek medical advice. As dysmenorrhea is a common problem for adolescents, it is essential that these girls be aware of the normal and abnormal symptoms of menstruation. In the light of these findings, the roles of family, school, health professionals and health authorities are of utmost importance for the implementation of measures to approach this health problem in a more efficient way. (www.actabiomedica.it).
AB - Self-medication (SM) is an important worldwide public health issue affecting children and adolescents. The pattern of SM varies in different communities, affected by factors such as age, sex, income, expense, self-care orientation, educational level and medical knowledge. It is a fairly common practice: for minor health problems, it often provides cheap, rapid, and convenient solutions, outside of the health care system of many countries. Painkillers, antipyretics, cough medicines, cold preparations, dermatological products, nutritional supplements and antibiotics are the drugs most frequently used. Potential risks include incorrect self-diagnosis, improper dosage, inappropriate choice of therapy, masking of severe disease and drug interactions. Lack of awareness of warnings and precautions, storage conditions, the recommended shelf-life and adverse reactions increase the risk of side effects. Little is known about the SM of dysmenorrhea by adolescent girls. Attitudes towards treatment are influenced by cultural, ethnic, and religious factors. Some girls discuss dysmenorrhea with family and friends, and the majority may not seek medical advice. As dysmenorrhea is a common problem for adolescents, it is essential that these girls be aware of the normal and abnormal symptoms of menstruation. In the light of these findings, the roles of family, school, health professionals and health authorities are of utmost importance for the implementation of measures to approach this health problem in a more efficient way. (www.actabiomedica.it).
KW - Adolescents
KW - Dysmenorrhea
KW - Health problem
KW - Potential risks
KW - Self-medication
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85082038573&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85082038573&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.23750/abm.v91i1.9242
DO - 10.23750/abm.v91i1.9242
M3 - Review article
C2 - 32191679
AN - SCOPUS:85082038573
SN - 0392-4203
VL - 91
SP - 182
EP - 192
JO - Acta Biomedica
JF - Acta Biomedica
IS - 1
ER -