Study Population
All individuals in this study were in the Henan province of China where
NCMATP conducted before 2009. The PLHIV were permitted to voluntarily
attend NCMATP, and were given the patented Chinese drug yi ai kang
(containing substances such as ginseng, huangqi, chaobaishu, Tuckahoe,
Chinese angelica, chuanxiong, baishao, and Scutellariae) free of charge
(five capsules three times a day) and established medical records to
record their information related AIDS monthly. PLHIV in this study were
switched to second-line ART between May 1, 2010 to May 1, 2016 and age
ranged from 18 years to 60 years when second-line ART commenced.
Individuals with incomplete data for basic demographic and clinical
characteristics were excluded from the study. The study’s primary
endpoint was all-cause death. Individuals who were alive after 10 years
of follow-up, remained alive after May 1, 2022, lost to follow-up, or
discontinued ART were taken as censored data.