An 84-month observational study of the changes in CD4 T-lymphocyte cell count of 110 HIV/AIDS patients treated with traditional Chinese medicine

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) by observing the changes in CD4 T-lymphocyte cell count of 110 cases with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) treated continuously with TCM for 84 months. Information of 110 HIV/AIDS patients from 19 provinces and cities treated with TCM from 2004 to 2013 was collected. Changes in the indexes of CD4 counts ( ≤ 200, 201-350, 351-500 and > 500 cells/mm(3)) at five time points (0, 12, 36, 60 and 84 months) and different treatments [TCM and TCM plus antiretroviral therapy (ART)] were compared. Repeated measures test indicated no interaction between group and time (P > 0.05). Degrees of increasing and decreasing CD4 count of the two groups at four different frames were statistically significant compared with the baseline. The CD4 count between the two groups was not statistically significant. For CD4 count of ≤ 200 cells/mm(3), the mean CD4 count changes were 21 and 28 cells/mm(3) per year for the TCM group and TCM plus ART group, respectively. For CD4 count of 201-350 cells/mm(3), the mean CD4 count changes were 6 and 25 cells/mm(3) per year for the TCM group and TCM plus ART group, respectively. For CD4 count of 351-500 cells/mm(3), the mean CD4 count changes were -13 and -7 cells/mm(3) per year for the TCM group and TCM plus ART group, respectively. For CD4 count of > 500 cells/mm(3), the mean CD4 count changes were -34 and -17 cells/mm(3) per year for the TCM group and TCM plus ART group, respectively. Long-term use of TCM could maintain or slow the pace of declining CD4 counts in patients with HIV/AIDS, and may achieve lasting effectiveness.

Chinese herbal medicine for patients living with HIV in Guangxi province, China: an analysis of two registries

“…A 7-year observational study suggested long-term use of CHM could maintain or slow the pace of CD4 cell counts declining. However, this study did not address bias, potential confounders and the possibility that results may have occurred by chance 9 . CHM has also been reported to relieve HIV/AIDS patients’ clinical symptoms (e.g., fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, shortness of breath, coughing) and significantly decrease opportunistic infections in before and after studies 10–12 .…”

Integrated Scheme of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Delaying the Morbidity of HIV Infection: Study Protocol for a Multicentre, Randomised Controlled Trial

“…CAM has been used to treat AIDS and its complications worldwide, including TCM, acupuncture, and Qigong. Several studies have shown that TCM can reduce drug side effects, improve the immune system, clinical symptoms, quality of life, and decrease mortality [4][5].Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality even in the current HIV treatment era, especially as patients age [6].Diarrhoea is one of the most common presenting complaints in HIV-infected patients. Since the rst AIDS cases were described, a high prevalence of gastrointestinal disturbance has been reported [7][8].Meanwhile, TCM is effective and safe for the treatment of asymptomatic AIDS [9][10][11][12][13].…”

Biological differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine from excessive to deficient syndromes in AIDS: Comparative microRNA microarray profiling and syndrome‐specific biomarker identification

“…With a history of more than 5000 years, the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has become one of the main methods to supplement western medicine 6 . A number of studies have shown that TCM can help reduce the side effects of HAART, enhance patients' immunologic function, ameliorate clinical symptoms, and life quality 7,8 . Clinical studies have further shown that TCM has a positive impact on prolonging the life of HIV/AIDS patients, 9 indicating that TCM may become an effective complementary and alternative therapy for HIV/AIDS.…”