Clinical Homeopathic Study in the Homeopathic Ambulatory at UNIRIO University Hospital, Brazil

Background: In 1966, the Gaffrée and Guinle University Hospital – GGUH was incorporated into the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro – UNIRIO. Since then the Homeopathy clinic has had it's service there. Since the creation of medical residency in Homeopathy in 2004, there has been a significant increase of treatment in the number of patients and also a significant increase in the inter-relationship with other specialists and hospital services. A wide variety of patients have been treated at the GGUH on a daily basis. Many patients have been examined and treated with homeopathy alone, while others were also examined in other specialties, making homeopathic treatment an adjunct to classical therapy and vice versa. Given the expressive number of medical consultations (around 2500/year), this outstanding result in our clinical and academic practice has created the relevance and need for the verification of the epidemiological profile of these patients. Epidemiological studies are needed to clearly show the population included in this hospital, which is considered to be a reference in the Brazilian Health System (SUS). Aims: To demonstrate the epidemiological and clinical homeopathic profile in the ambulatory of homeopathy at the Gaffrée and Guinle University Hospital (GGUH) of the Federal University of the Staate of Rio de Janeiro - UNIRIO, Brazil. Methodology: Cross-sectional study of 140 medical records randomly selected from the ambulatory of homeopathy at GGUH. The sample represents 50% of the monthly average of the clinical service from January to October 2009. The medical records incorrectly completed for the data analysis were excluded. Microsoft Office Excel 2007 used to data collection and analysis. Results and Discussion: A total of 100 records were selected for analysis (71.4%). Average age: 50 years old, 69% being between 41 and 80 years old. Gender: 79% women and 21% men. Marital status: 46% married, 36% single, 10% divorced and 8% widowed. Color: 61% white, 31% colored and 8% black. Education: Only 12% obtained an undergratuadion degree. Groups of diseases: Group-01 (48%) high prevalence: 19% respiratory, 15% osteoarticular and 14% psychiatric; Group-02 (45%) medium prevalence: 11% gastrointestinal, 9% cardiovascular, 8% genitourinary, 6% neurological, 6% dermatologic and 5% endocrine; Group-03 (7%) low prevalence: 3% otological, 2% immunological, 1% oncological and 1% ophtalmological. 82% of the patients were treated solely with homeopathy and 18% with homeopathy and allopathy. Clinical-homeopathic diagnosis: 53% functional, 38% lesional; 9% sensorial. Constitutional diagnoses: 31% sulfuric, 25% phosphoric, 22% carbonic, 22% mixed. Miasmatic / diathesic diagnosis: 47% sycotic, 28% psoric, 12.5% mixed, 9.5% tuberculinic, 3% syphilinic. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a higher prevalence of women over 50 years old with respiratory, osteoarticular and psychiatric diseases. Most of them had a sulfuric constitution and presented functional diseases of sycotic origin. Homeopathy was the most adopted treatment during the period studied. This knowledge led to the creation of the “Homeopathic Clinical Identification Summary” which is used in the GGUH ambulatory. Epidemiological and clinical data were extracted from this summary with the objective to construct clinical trials.