AIDS, also known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is a globally spreading disease discovered in recent years that has a high mortality rate and is caused by a virus. Although many people are familiar with this disease, they tend to adopt an “it doesn’t concern me” attitude. In fact, AIDS is spreading rapidly. In the early 1980s, the disease was primarily confined to the Americas, Africa, and Europe, but it has now spread to India, Thailand, South America, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan. Those infected include men, women, children, and even infants. According to a December 1997 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 20 million people worldwide were infected with HIV. The incubation period—the time from infection to the onset of symptoms—is approximately 10 years; therefore, the actual number of people infected with HIV far exceeds 20 million. Some estimates suggest that more than 10 million people are infected but show no symptoms. This issue warrants serious attention; preventive measures should be taken to avoid contracting the disease.
I. Transmission Routes of AIDS
This disease is most commonly found among homosexuals and drug users, though children and infants can also be infected. Transmission primarily occurs through sexual contact, blood transfusions, injection drug use, and mother-to-child transmission.
Regarding the incidence of AIDS, statistics from records at 19 university health clinics in the United States show that, on average, one out of every 200 male students is infected; In recent years, the number of women with HIV has increased rapidly, mostly due to heterosexual contact. In certain regions of the United States, such as New York and Florida, an average of one in every 250 women of childbearing age is infected with HIV. The risk of an infant contracting HIV from an infected mother is approximately 20% to 30%.
II. Key Points in the Diagnosis of HIV/AIDS
1. Primary Clinical Manifestations
(1) Significant weight loss, with a decrease of 10% or more from the original weight.
(2) Marked weakness and fatigue.
(3) Persistent or intermittent fever lasting more than one month.
2. Secondary Clinical Manifestations
(1) Multiple hemorrhagic sarcomatoid lesions on the skin.
(2) Oral and pharyngeal candidiasis.
(3) Herpetic skin lesions or herpes zoster persisting for more than 1 month.
(4) Generalized pruritus.
(5) Focal pulmonary infections, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated pneumonia.
(6) Marked generalized lymphadenopathy.
(7) The patient exhibits neurological signs.
(8) Meningitis with an unresponsive clinical course.
3. Special Laboratory Tests
(1) Immunological tests: Patients typically exhibit cellular immune deficiency and impaired immune function, while humoral immune markers such as IgG, IgA, and IgM are elevated; the cause of this is unknown.
(2) Virological tests may reveal HTLA-I viral infection.
Any patient exhibiting the three major clinical manifestations listed above and one secondary clinical manifestation should undergo further serological immunological testing to establish an early and definitive diagnosis.
III. Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for AIDS
Currently, Western medicine lacks effective therapies; vaccine research is progressing slowly, and the virus mutates rapidly. Since the incubation period for AIDS can last up to 10 years, it takes a long time to observe the efficacy of a vaccine.
AIDS appears to fall within the categories of “warm-heat diseases” and “consumptive diseases” in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Treatment based on TCM pattern differentiation and treatment can yield certain results.
1. Prodromal Stage: Deficiency of both Qi and Yin: Patients present with low-grade fever, night sweats, fatigue and weakness, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, a tongue that is reddish in color with a thin coating, and a fine, rapid pulse; The treatment principle should be to tonify qi and nourish yin; Shengmai San or Zhibai Dihuang Wan with appropriate modifications may be used.
2. Onset Stage
(1) Yin Deficiency with Excessive Fire Pattern: Patients with this pattern present with low-grade fever, mental fatigue and weakness, weight loss, cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, night sweats, sore throat, dry mouth and tongue, a red tongue, a yellow coating, and a deep, fine, rapid pulse. The treatment principle should be to nourish yin and clear heat, supplemented by cooling the blood and detoxifying; Da Dingfeng Zhu with appropriate modifications may be used. If symptoms such as fever, aversion to cold, and body pain are present, treatment should focus on relieving muscle tension and clearing heat; Chai Ge Jie Ji Tang with appropriate modifications may be used.
(2) Heat-Infiltrating the Nutritive Blood Pattern: Patients with this pattern present with high fever, bleeding from the skin and mucous membranes, epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematuria, and hematochezia; in severe cases, they may experience mental confusion, delirium, convulsions, and spasms. The tongue is dark red, and the pulse is fine and rapid. The treatment principle should be to clear the Nutritive Blood, cool the blood, dispel heat, and eliminate toxins. The Qingwen Baidu Decoction, with appropriate modifications, may be used for treatment. If high fever is present, add gypsum and Anemarrhena; if convulsions or spasms occur, add antelope horn powder and Uncaria.
IV. Prevention of AIDS
Prevention is better than cure for this disease, and efforts can be made in the following areas:
1. Since this disease is primarily transmitted through sexual contact, it is important in some countries to avoid or reduce sexual contact outside of marriage. If one partner in a couple has the disease, sexual contact should be avoided; condoms may be used when necessary to reduce the risk of transmission. Some believe that using condoms is not entirely safe, as the virus is hundreds of times smaller than sperm, and their effectiveness is only 85%–95%; the only method considered absolutely safe is abstinence from sexual intercourse. Prohibiting the injection of drugs is also a fundamental measure for prevention and control.
2. Avoid blood transfusions and injections: Since the incubation period for HIV can last up to 10 years, individuals carrying the virus may appear and behave just like healthy people before symptoms appear. Receiving their blood or using their injection equipment—such as syringes and needles—may result in infection. Therefore, blood transfusions and the administration of blood products should be avoided in non-emergency situations.
3. The blood of people living with HIV contains the virus: When in contact with people living with HIV—especially during blood draws or injections—wear protective gloves to prevent their blood from coming into contact with the skin or open wounds of healthy individuals.
4. General social contact, such as hugging or kissing on the cheek, does not transmit the disease. Using public restrooms, telephones, and similar facilities is generally safe and does not require special precautions.
5. Boosting Immune Function: It is very important for both patients and healthy individuals to take certain traditional Chinese herbal medicines that boost immune function over an extended period of time.