Does ozone alleviate AIDS diarrhea?

Abstract

Five patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related complex (ARC) and intractable diarrhea were treated with daily colonic insufflations of medical ozone (oxygen/ozone mixture) for 21-28 days. The daily dose of ozone (O3) ranged from 2.7 to 30 mg. Three of the four patients whose diarrhea was of unknown etiology experienced complete resolution, and one patient had marked improvement. The fifth patient, whose diarrhea was due to Cryptosporidium, experienced no change. No consistent change in the absolute number of helper (CD4) or suppressor (CD8) lymphocytes was detected, and no obvious changes were seen in the PO2 or the results of routine hematologic and blood chemistry studies. Patients had mild to moderate local discomfort during ozone administration early in the course of treatment, but no adverse systemic effects were observed. The results of this series suggest that medical ozone administered by rectal insufflation is simple, safe, and effective. Should this simple treatment be used routinely to treat chronic intractable ARC/AIDS diarrhea?