Abstract
This study was undertaken to examine the association between the immunological impact of HIV (measured by CD4 count) and global self-assessed quality of life (QOL) (measured with QOL1) for people suffering from HIV, to see if the connection was large and statistically strong enough to support our hypothesis of a strong QOL-immunological connection through the nonspecific, nonreceptor-mediated immune system, and thus to give a rationale for a holistic cure for HIV. This cross-sectional population study in Uganda included 20 HIV infected persons with no symptoms of AIDS and a CD4 count above 200 mill./liter. The main outcome measures were CD4 count, global QOL measured with the validated questionnaire QOL1, translated to Luganda and translated back to English. We found a large, clinically significant correlation between the number of T-helper cells (CD4) and global self-assessed quality of life (QOL1) (r = 0.57, p = 0.021), when controlled for age, gender, and years of infection. Together with other studies and holistic medicine theory, the results have given rationale for a holistic cure for HIV. We suggest, based on our findings and theoretical considerations, that HIV patients who improve their global QOL, also will improve their CD4 counts. Using the technique of holistic medicine based on the life mission theory and the holistic process theory of healing, we hypothesize that the improvement of QOL can have sufficient biological effect on the CD4, which could avoid or postpone the development of AIDS. A holistic HIV/AIDS cure improving the QOL draws on hidden resources in the person and is thus affordable for everybody. Improving global QOL also means a higher consciousness and a more ethical attitude, making it more difficult for the HIV-infected person to pass on the infection.
Highlights
It is well known, but poorly understood, why HIV-infected patients have very different survival rates and some sex workers are immune to the HIV virus[1,2,3]
Several studies have shown associations between different dimensions of quality of life (QOL) and the CD4 counts for HIV-infected persons: health-related quality of life (HRQOL)[7,8], general health disability[9,10], social functioning, pain symptoms[10], functional performance[9] and HIV Overview of Problems Evaluation System (HOPES) have all shown associations with CD4 counts for people with HIV/AIDS
The association between CD4 counts and QOL1 was large and both clinically and statistically significant; no significant association was found between CD4 and age (p = –0.055, r = 0.823), but age was correlated to QOL1
Summary
But poorly understood, why HIV-infected patients have very different survival rates and some sex workers are immune to the HIV virus[1,2,3]. Very seldom does an HIV-positive person convert to HIV negative and we only know of one case, a patient in France who seemingly was “healed” by Martin Brofmann[4,5]. Several studies have shown associations between different dimensions of quality of life (QOL) and the CD4 counts for HIV-infected persons: health-related quality of life (HRQOL)[7,8], general health disability[9,10], social functioning, pain symptoms[10], functional performance[9] and HIV Overview of Problems Evaluation System (HOPES) have all shown associations with CD4 counts for people with HIV/AIDS. Other studies have proven HRQOL[11,12] and psychological aspects[9] to have no association with CD4 counts These findings could be explained by the fact that the QOL concept covers many different aspects of life, measured by different questionnaires[13,14]. We use the most simple and general questionnaire, QOL1[15]
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