DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2016.v04i10.017

Pages: 892-899

Herbal treatment is currently attracting more patronage due to the effectiveness and low cost of treatments. Many herbs contains phytochemicals of health benefits. Some traditional ways of administering herbal treatments could bring about cross-infection. This work was designed to determine the biochemical and Immunochemical status of patients receiving herbal treatment in some herbal homes in rural Nigeria. Fifty patients receiving herbal treatments were recruited for this work. The patients were tested for anti-HIV, anti-HCV and HBsAg immunochemically by ELIZA and Westernblot before treatment. 23(46%) of the fifty patients who were anti-HCV, anti-HIV and HBsAg seronegative were recruited for biochemical evaluation of plasma Total Bile Acid, Albumin, Total Antioxidant , Glucose and Creatinine using spectrophotometric technique before and after treatments. The overall immunochemical status obtained in the patients include 10(20%) HBsAg, 4(8%) anti-HCV, 7(14%) HBsAg + anti-HCV, 23(46%) HBsAg /anti-HCV/HIV seronegative, 3(6%) HBsAg + anti-HIV, 2(4%)Anti-HCV+ anti-HIV, 1(2%)Anti-HIV. Gender distribution include: in Female- 4(8%)HBsAg, 1(2%)anti-HCV , 3(6%)HBsAg + anti-HCV, 13(26%)HBsAg /anti-HCV/HIV seronegative, 2(4%)HBsAg + anti-HIV, 1(2%)Anti-HCV+ anti-HIV, 1(2%)Anti-HIV and in male patients : 6(12%)HBsAg, 3(6%)anti-HCV , 4(8%)HBsAg + anti-HCV, 10(20%)HBsAg /anti-HCV/HIV seronegative, 1(2%)HBsAg + anti-HIV, 1(2%)Anti-HCV+ anti-HIV, 0(0%)Anti-HIV. There was a significantly higher plasma value of Total Bile Acid and Total Antioxidant in the herbal home patients after not less than three weeks treatment than before herbal treatment with p<0.05. There was a significantly lower plasma level of glucose after not less than three weeks of herbal treatment than before the treatment with p<0.05. Monoinfection of HBV, HCV and their coinfections were more frequent in the patients than the mono and coinfection of HIV...............