Self-medication practices in the management of malaria in the city of Bukavu in Eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo

Self-medication for malaria management is very common in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This study was conducted to determine the extent, characteristics and factors associated with this practice in medical area in the city of Bukavu. This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out by direct interview between January and June 2018, in the internal medicine department of the General Referral Hospital (GRH) of Bukavu. Graph Pad software was used to analyze the data collected. Seven hundred eighty-five patients were consulted, among them 57.8% (average age 38.7 ± 8 years; average income: 95 ± 12 USD; gender male / female ratio: 0.47) practice self-medication with antimalarials. They used it for the first time at an average age of 6 ± 2 years. Quinine (91.4%) and Artemether- Lumefantrine (60.4%) are the most used antimalarial. Ascorbic acid (98.7%) and Paracetamol (89.2%) are the most medicines associates to antimalarial in self-medication. Several risks are incurred during this practice when the most cited are worsening side effects (53%), incomplete treatment (37%) and the occurence of side effects (37%). Age (31-46 and > 61 years old), low income (50-150 USD), membership in a health sector and the pretension of knowledge of antimalarials, predispose subjects to self-medication. Self-medication with antimalarials is very common in Bukavu. It concerns both biomedicine and traditional medicine. There is an urgent need to regulate this practice to avoid its harmful consequences.