title: [Study on the four-year retention rate and influencing factors for 2,353 AIDS patients by Chinese medicine].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the retention rate and its influencing factors of HIV/AIDS patients by Chinese medicine (CM) maintenance treatment in the first 5 provinces in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the retention rate of treatment in patients. Cox hazard regression model was used to assess factors that might influence the treatment time of Chinese medication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Totally 2,353 patients took part in this four-year study. Of them, 1,156 (49. 1%) were male, 2,344 (99. 6%) were Han nationality, 2,260 (96%) were married, 2,219 (94.3%) had junior middle-schooling or below, the average age was 41.52 +/- 8.98 years, 1,758 (74.7%) received paid blood donation, 478 (20.3%) received blood transfusion, 737 (31.3%) were absent of symptoms, 963 (40.9%) received combined treatment of CM and Western medicine. The median time within the four years was 44.84 months. The average retention rate for 1, 2, 3, 4 years of CM treatment were 86.6%, 78.4%, 72.2%, 65.6%, respectively. The results of Cox model indicated that the drop-out risk could be reduced in combined treatment of CM and Western medicine patients (HR=0. 805, P<0.01) and AIDS patients (HR=0. 769, P<0.01). The drop-out risk could be increased by the infection route of paid blood donation (HR =1. 373, P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The four-year retention rate of the 2 353 patients by CM treatment in the first 5 provinces in China was 65. 6%. Route of infection, whether or not in combination of Western medicine, and staging showed influence on CM maintenance treatment time.
authors: Center for AIDS Prevention and Treatment by Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing.
authors: Bi-yan
authors: BY
authors: Liang
authors: Jian
authors: J
authors: Wang
authors: Jia-ming
authors: JM
authors: Lu