Incomplete Immune Reconstitution and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Patients with HIV/AIDS: Challenges and Perspectives

Antiretroviral therapy can reduce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) load to undetectable levels and restore CD4+ T cells to rebuild immune function in patients with HIV. However, some patients fail to achieve immune reconstitution despite treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine is an important branch of complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of HIV infection, and a growing number of studies has demonstrated that traditional Chinese medicine can increase CD4+ T cell counts in patients, thereby promoting immune reconstitution, ameliorating symptoms and signs, and improving quality of life. Here, we review pathogenesis in immunological non-responders and research into their treatment with traditional Chinese medicine. Furthermore, we summarize potential future research directions, including elucidation of how traditional Chinese medicine can regulate CD4+ T cells to reduce opportunistic infections and improve quality of life in immunological non-responders.