Discussion of the Clinical Research for Integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine in the Treatment of HIV/AIDS Herpes Zoster

Abstract

Herpes zoster in HIV/AIDS patients is characterized by high incidence, wide skin damage, intractability, long course, and high recurrence rate. It is an important opportunistic infection among HIV/AIDS patients. By summarizing clinical practice and the theories in ancient books and recent manuscripts, we argue that the key to pathogenesis is the exogenous pathogenic toxin and endoretention of damp heat, resulting in herpes in the skin. HIV/AIDS herpes zoster localizes in the liver and gallbladder, in addition to being closely related to the heart and the spleen, according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories. The syndrome types of HIV/AIDS herpes zoster include heat stagnation in the liver channel, spleen deficiency with dampness, qi-stagnation, and blood stasis. In this article, we discussed clinical research of HIV/AIDS herpes zoster in TCM with reference to its disease characteristics, etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and syndrome differentiation, in addition to the treatment of HIV/AIDS herpes zoster patients.