The Effect of Reflexology on Immunological Parameters of People Living with HIV

Abstract

Background: We aimed to study the effect of reflexology on the immunological parameters of people living with HIV (PLWH). Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study evaluating the effect of reflexology treatment on the immunological parameters of PLWH. All patients who received at least one treatment were included and compared with the group of PLWH who were not treated with reflexology. Measured parameters included CD4 count, CD4%, CD8 count, CD8%, CD4/CD8 ratio, and HIV viral load (VL). Changes in these parameters before and after the treatment were compared with changes in two consecutive measurements in the control group. Results: In total, 74 patients who received reflexology treatment were matched to 144 controls. There was a male predominance of 86% in both groups. Patients in the control group were slightly older, with a median age of 45 versus 43 in the treatment group (p = 0.022). The median baseline CD4 count (730 vs. 795, p = 0.187) and CD8 count (890 vs. 832, p = 0.32) did not differ between the groups. Baseline CD4% tended to be lower in the treatment group (34% vs. 36%, p = 0.058), CD8% was higher in the treatment group (40% vs. 38%, p = 0.03), and the CD4/CD8 ratio was lower in the treatment group (0.8 vs. 1, p = 0.002). After therapy, there was a significantly higher increase in CD4, CD4%, and CD4/CD8 in the treatment group (p = 0.006, 0.0004, <0.001, respectively), whereas CD8% decreased significantly and CD8 tended to decrease in the treatment group (p < 0.001, 0.054, respectively). Conclusions: Reflexology showed a positive impact on the immunological parameters of PLWH.

Keywords

• people living with HIV (PLWH)
• reflexology
• immunological parameters