Eight-year survival of AIDS patients treated with Chinese herbal medicine.
Treatment of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) currently relies on the use of antiretroviral drugs. Little is known about Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) outcomes in patients living with AIDS. We conducted a cohort study to investigate long-term survival among CHM-treated AIDS patients. Patients were poor farmers who contracted HIV-1 infection when selling blood in the 1990s. Symptoms of AIDS included recurring respiratory tract infections with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia, swollen lymph nodes and weight loss. 385 patients with AIDS were included and 165 of them used a 16-herb formula for 14 days to 9 months. The eight-year survival rate was 87% for the CHM users and 34% for the non-users (increased survival probability for CHM user, 9.6; 95% CI = 6.0-15.4; p < 0.0001). Survival probability further increased 14.6-fold (95% CI = 8.2-26.1), when excluding the users who received CHM for less than three months. Zero deaths were found in patients who used CHM for six to nine months. All the survivors regained their body weight and none of them experienced a relapse of AIDS or any severe adverse events. After the CHM treatment for an average of 3.6 months, the plasma HIV load was 74.7% lower (paired t-test, p = 0.151) and the number of blood CD4+ lymphocytes increased from 253 to 314 (paired t-test, p = 0.021). Without life-long medication, CHM may be beneficial for long-term survival of AIDS patients.
Metabolism and Translational Medicine, Guilin Medical College, Guangxi 541004, China.
Hai-Lu
HL
Zhao
Chuan-Zheng
CZ
Sun
Wei-Ping
WP
Jiang
Zhi-Kai
ZK
Dai
Wu-Xiang
WX
Shi
Ke-Ke
KK
Yang
Xue-Jing
XJ
Mu
Xiao-Xi
XX
Zhang
Yi
Y
Sui
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal