Danggui Buxue Oral Liquid Improves Chemotherapy-induced Myelosuppression, Nutritional Status and Reduces Infections in AIDS Patients with Lymphoma: A Retrospective Observational Study

Abstract Objective: This retrospective observational study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Danggui Buxue Oral Liquid in clinical practice. We mainly observed its effects on mitigating chemotherapy-triggered myelosuppression, correcting malnutrition and cutting down secondary infection risks among AIDS patients with lymphoma who presented qi-blood deficiency pattern. Methods: Clinical data of 96 eligible patients were collected and analyzed in this single-center retrospective observational study. All participants received standard combination antiretroviral therapy plus conventional chemotherapy during treatment. According to the adjuvant medications actually applied in clinical practice, enrolled individuals were divided into two groups, with 48 cases in each group. The combined treatment group took Danggui Buxue Oral Liquid 20 mL twice a day throughout four chemotherapy cycles, while the standard group received no additional traditional Chinese medicine intervention. After all treatment courses finished, we compared routine blood cell counts, myelosuppression grades assessed by CTCAE 5.0 criteria, nutritional risks screened via NRS2002 scale, as well as the incidence of secondary infections between the two cohorts. Results: Baseline demographic information, laboratory indicators and clinical characteristics were well balanced between two groups, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). After four cycles of chemotherapy, white blood cell, hemoglobin and platelet counts rose obviously in patients using Danggui Buxue Oral Liquid. By contrast, these hematological indicators declined slightly in the standard treatment group (P<0.05). The occurrence rate of grade Ⅳ myelosuppression and bacterial infections was markedly lower in the combined group (P<0.05). Meanwhile, more patients in the combined group obtained NRS2002 scores below 3, which reflected obvious improvement in nutritional conditions (P<0.05). Conclusion: As a feasible adjuvant remedy, Danggui Buxue Oral Liquid can effectively relieve severe myelosuppression caused by chemotherapy, improve patients’ nutritional state and lower bacterial infection risks. It can also help AIDS patients complicated with lymphoma tolerate chemotherapy better. The combined regimen of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine had practical application value for immunodeficiency-related malignancies in clinical settings.