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

Abstract

Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) is the recommended first line therapy for patients with HIV. Since 2004, Chinese government has provided free Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for Chinese HIV/AIDS patients. Data of living patients with HIV from the NFTCMP database and Center for Disease Control (CDC) database during 2003–2016 in Guangxi province was obtained and compared. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to their recorded treatment regimens. A total of 2954 patients with their treatment recorded in the two databases were included for analysis, their median age was 46 years (IQR = 36–59), and 64.63% were male. CHM regimens users had baseline CD4 cell counts (380.11 ± 240.59 cell/μL), approximately 100 cell/μL significantly higher than patients receiving CHM combined with ART regimens or only ART regimens. There was no significant difference in mortality among groups. All three regimens improved patients’ CD4 cell counts. Compared to the sharp improvement in ART group during the first 6 months, CD4 cell counts of patients in CHM group and CHM combined with ART group showed a smooth and steady rise. CD4 cell counts of the combined group remained much lower than ART group in the first 3 years, but overtook ART group in the fourth year.

Treating older patients with AIDS using Traditional Chinese Medicine Combined with Conventional Western Medicine in China

“…Sun et al [ 29 ] reported results of a retrospective cohort study including 2954 patients with HIV/AIDS. Patients were divided into three groups according to their recorded treatment regimens.…”

Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy on the Trend in CD4+ T-Cell Counts among Patients with HIV/AIDS Treated with Antiretroviral Therapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study

“…Unlike cART, TCM works on the overall immune function of patients; this approach is important because better immune function decreases the risk of opportunistic infection and tumor formation [18]. Many studies have reported their findings regarding the influence of TCM on the immune function of patients with AIDS, but their results are inconsistent [19][20][21]. e influence of TCM on the CD4 + T-cell count of patients with HIV/AIDS might be significantly related to the CD4 + T-cell count at the time of initial treatment.…”

Efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese herbal medicine combined with HAART in the treatment of HIV/AIDS

“…At present, in addition to the routine western medicine treatment, patients with HIV/AIDS in China, especially those who are intolerant of antiviral drugs or failed to antiviral therapy, will be treated with traditional Chinese herbal medicine to improve efficacy and reduce adverse reactions. [20] Although the evidence for the effectiveness and safety of this traditional Chinese and western medicine has been inconclusive, a growing body of studies have shown that this synergistic therapy combing Chinese herbal medicine with HAART has certain advantages in enhancing immunity, improving the quality of life, reducing the occurrence of serious opportunistic infections and alleviating bad effects caused by antivirals. [21] This study aimed to systematically investigate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine in cooperation with HAART for HIV/AIDS and provide a reliable reference for the clinical application of Chinese medicine for HIV/AIDS.…”

“…Since the first case of HIV/AIDS patient was discovered, Chinese clinicians and researchers have been committed to working on the TCM in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. At present, in addition to the routine western medicine treatment, patients with HIV/AIDS in China, especially those who are intolerant of antiviral drugs or failed to antiviral therapy, will be treated with traditional Chinese herbal medicine to improve efficacy and reduce adverse reactions [20] . Although the evidence for the effectiveness and safety of this traditional Chinese and western medicine has been inconclusive, a growing body of studies have shown that this synergistic therapy combing Chinese herbal medicine with HAART has certain advantages in enhancing immunity, improving the quality of life, reducing the occurrence of serious opportunistic infections and alleviating bad effects caused by antivirals [21] …”