OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic effect of integrative Chinese and western medicine (ICWM) in treating severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and its influence on T-lymphocyte subsets.

METHODSComparative study was conducted in 133 SARS inpatients in Beijing Ditan Hospital, who were divided into 3 groups according to the treatment applied, the basic treated group, the low dose steroid group and the high dose steroid group, and all the 3 groups were subdivided into two groups, Chinese herbs and non-Chinese herbs added, respectively. Chinese drugs for clearing-up heat, dispelling dampness, detoxication, removing stasis, supplementing Qi and nourishing Yin were selected according to patients' syndrome and given additionally to all the three ICWM groups. Retrospective analysis for significance test on changes of T-lymphocyte subsets before and after treatment were carried out.

RESULTST-lymphocyte counts, including CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, lowered in all patients before treatment, but increased significantly after treated for 3 weeks, the increment in all the low dose steroid treated groups was higher than that in the basic treated groups, and that in ICWM groups was higher than that in non-ICWM groups, respectively.

CONCLUSIONGlycocorticosteroid and Chinese herbal medicine treatments could promote the recovery of T-lymphocyte profile, rationally use of them is the effective therapeutic method.