Relationship between the tongue presentations and the CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8 amount of HIV/AIDS patients from Guangdong

Abstract：According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, tongue presentation is an important clinical symptom and closely related with disease development. Here, we aimed to analyze the Guangdong HIV/AIDS patient's tongue presentation, and its relationship with the CD4, CD8, and CD4/CD8 amount. We gathered 609 HIV/AIDS patients from Guangdong, and analyzed their tongue presentations and counted the CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte. We found that CD4 and CD4/CD8 levels in HIV/AIDS patients were lower than normal levels; Tow groups of patients with reddish tongue demonstrated high levels of CD4 and CD4/CD8 as compared with the patients with other four kinds of tongue color (Pale tongue, red tongue, dull tongue, purple tongue) (P <0.05); two groups of patients with Pale tongue showed low levels of CD4 and CD4/CD8 as compared with the other four tongue colors (P <0.05); more HIV / AIDS patients showed dull tongue (41.38%) and red tongue (35.47%) (P <0.05). As to tongue coating presentation, white and greasy coating was dominant in HIV / AIDS patients (44.83%), followed by yellowish greasy coating (26.11%), thin white tongue coating (20.20%), little liver coating (3.45%). All these results mean that tongue presentations can reflect the immune function of HIV / AIDS patients.