THE EXTENT OF THE USE OF HEPATOPROTECTIVE DRUGS AND THE RELEVANCE OF THEIR IMPROVEMENT

Although they are not regarded as glamorous pursuits, cross-sectional studies offer crucial insights into public health because they are firmly grounded in facts and statistics. The study's objectives are to determine how frequently patients with chronic illnesses—aside from chronic liver disorders—consume HP nutritional supplements and to examine the behaviors associated with these patients' use of these supplements. Over the course of a year, a total of 954 patients from four private pharmaceutical facilities who were looking for prescription drugs for chronic illnesses under different payment options (full payment, gratuity, or compensated) were carefully chosen. We looked at the frequency of HP use in connection to several prescription drugs for long-term illnesses. Each of these patients was given the opportunity to take part in a nutritional status evaluation and was asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their supplement intake patterns. 65 patients agreed to have their nutritional status assessed, and 195 patients agreed to take part in the survey. 77.2% of the 954 patients include HP in their treatment plan. The group with seven medications consumed the most (83.33%), followed by the group with three substances (82.84%). Compared to men (62.60%; 293 from 383), women utilize HP at a higher rate (80.58%; 444 from 551), and the majority of patients (59.5%) used extracts of Silybum marianum L. 64.61% of respondents to the survey reported taking supplements, with HP being used by the majority (59.52%). Merely 32.54% of patients follow medical professionals' advice. 55.56% of the patients who use supplements said their health has improved. Additionally, patients who incorporate supplements into their daily regimen typically see improvements in their general nutritional health. The recent study found that hepatoprotective nutritional supplements are used by most individuals with chronic diseases. The majority of the time, patients either discover HP through the media or begin using it on their own. When patients include nutritional supplements into their everyday regimen, their health often improves. Using HP for longer than two months is linked to this health improvement. These gains in health status were also corroborated by the findings of clinical investigations, which included BMI, fat mass, sarcopenic index, and hydration level.