A
total of one hundred and fifty patients were examined, out of
which eighty (52%) were followed for two years.
Major
mode of transmission (98%) remains heterosexual. Only one
patient reported with certainty about blood transfusion.
Majority
of the patients belong to the younger group (15-30 yrs.)
Patients
were from various strata of life like PSW to housewives.
73%
showed improvement in general sense of well being, weight gain
and other general symptoms.
64%
showed improvement on major Ayurvedic criteria clinically and on
tests / scoring.
CD4+
T cell count improved from 10% to 34% in 75% of patients.
Patients
who could maintain better nutritional status along with
ayurvedic medicines showed a better improvement on all scales.
Alcohol
consumption was the most important acquired habit observed in
42% of patients.
Daily
consumption was high. Those who could stop alcohol exhibited
clinical improvement. Those who could not refrain progressed
inexorably along the HIV AIDS course.
Overall
CD4+ cell count was very low < 500 in the majority of cases.
Tuberculosis
and Herpes Simplex were the commonly observed opportunistic
infections.
Philosophy
