Hospital admissions due to adverse reactions to Chinese herbal medicines
Chan, T.Y.; Chan, A.Y.; Critchley, J.A.
Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 95(4): 296-298
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-5304 PMID: 1495129 Document Number: 398251
Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) are commonly used in Hong Kong. To determine the importance of adverse reactions to CHM as a cause of medical admissions in Hong Kong, all 1701 patients admitted to two general medical wards at the Prince of Wales Hospital over an eight-month period were prospectively studied. In only three patients (0.2%) was the admission attributed to the adverse effects of CHM. These were life-threatening in two cases ('dazao'-induced angio-neurotic oedema and liquorice-induced hypokalaemic periodic paralysis). Despite this low incidence of adverse reactions, in communities where CHM are commonly used, it is important that there is a continuing effort to collect new information on the safety of these compounds.