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t hat thes e health complaints were not trivial . The y were t o
them symptoms of disease severe e nough to warrant mcdLcaj
i nt e r ve nt i on. Nearly 60% o f s ub j ectis t r e a t ed themselves with
medications ranging f rom simpl e analgesics t o potent
antibiotics. The se medications involve d considerable financia l
cost to t hese individuals.
A pa z-tLc ul az-Ly disturbing aspect of thi s "c ' ll tur e" of
self -med ication, is t he abuse of a ntibiotics by subjects . This
situation is made easy by t he r e ad y accessibility of drugs i n
the region . Most a ntibiot i cs a re sold freely to individuals
without a p r escription .
I t was ve ry easy to recognise the drugs used by sUbjects
because t hese dru'g s were f r equently also misused for a number
of othe r c ond i t ions. In t his popUl ati on they have acquired
local ly g i ven nickna mes Whi ch refl ect their c o l our and/or
effect s . I ndoc i d ( I ndome thacin ) for example is known as
"Ab i r i wEl; b eb o ball" , l i t erally t ranslated to mean "t he o ld
l ady can no w pla y soccer" reflec t:i. nc-: i t s identified effects at
relieving arthrit ic pain.
This hi gh p revale nce of self-medication could ne ve
affec t ed the women ' s clinical e xa mina tion f indings .woause
potent antipyre t ic, ana1gesic and antibiotics agents we r e used
by t he SUbj ects. One questions t her e f or e if the i nc i de nce s of
pa thol og y de tected were not less than t heir actually occurring
r ates .