A Pilot Study on the Syndromes and Symptoms of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome:A Report of 473 Cases

Objective: To preliminarily investigate the characteristics of clinical symptoms and syndromes of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS) in north Anhui province.Methods: The uniform clinical observation table and investigation schemes were established based on the method of TCM clinical epidemiology.The frequency distribution of symptoms,signs and TCM syndrome types was statistically described using Microsoft Office Excel database.Results: The HIV and AIDS patients were mostly infected through blood route in north Anhui province.Their most common symptoms were fatigue and short breath.In HIV phase,the syndrome type of deficiency of both qi and blood was most common;while in AIDS phase,the top 4 syndromes were the type of deficiency of both vital energy and yin complicated with deficiency of both lung and kidney,the type of wind-fire in liver meridian complicated with damp toxin accumulation,the type of deficiency of both spleen and kidney complicated with stagnation of pathogenic dampness and the type of blood stasis by qi-asthenia complicated with block-up by pathogenic factors and toxin.Conclusion: The characteristics of clinical symptoms are as follows: The deficiency was the most reason;deficiency mixed with excess;the qi,blood,body fluid were all deficient;while the damp,toxin,blood stasis and deficiency are simultaneous.The TCM syndromes are complex and changeable,and mainly characterized by deficiency with several bowels and visceras involved.The disease is developing unceasingly and steadily worsening.