Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Patient with HIV/AIDS

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 33.2 million people worldwide were living with HIV in 2007, and more than 2 million people died from AIDS. In the U.S., an estimated 1 million persons are living with HIV. Although, Western medicine is getting better in controlling this disease, there is a need for safer alternative approaches. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has been practiced for more than 2500 years, has shown promising outcomes in the treatment of HIV/AIDS in recent clinical studies and therefore may be beneficial to these patients.

OBJECTIVES: This presentation aims to review the clinical efficacy and safety of TCM in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

METHODS: Sources include PubMed, Google Scholar, VIP, and CINTCM. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case series with subject numbers greater than 20 of TCM in the treatment of HIV/AIDS reported from 1999 to 2008 were included. Case reports, uncontrolled clinical trials, and animal studies were excluded. No language restrictions were imposed.

RESULTS: 429 research papers on this topic were identified. However, only eleven RCTs that met our criteria were included: four studies on Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), two on moxibustion, three on CHM and western medicine, and two studies of acupuncture and meditation.

CONCLUSION: Most RCTs reported positive results with TCM treatments including improved CD4 counts, increased antiviral benefit and improved quality of life. However, there were methodological limitations in most of these studies. Hence, the evidence is limited and inconclusive.