Effects of intravenous laser irradiation on viral load and T lymphocytes in people living with HIV/AIDS

To evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous laser irradiation of blood in reducing viral load and increasing LT-CD4+ and LT-CD8+ in people living with HIV/AIDS. Randomized, controlled, parallel, single-blind clinical trial. Twenty-eight participants were allocated to the intervention (ILIB n = 15) and control (CTRL n = 13) groups. The ILIB group received irradiation with red laser (660 nm), applied to the radial artery (30 minutes/day for 20 days), with a total energy of 180 J. The CTRL group received a sham intervention (without light emission). Viral load and LT-CD4+ and LT-CD8+ counts were assessed at the end. Both groups showed a reduction in viral load (ILIB: -1.7 log; CTRL: -2.3 log). In the ILIB group, 61.5% of participants achieved an undetectable viral load (p = 0.449). There was no increase in CD4+ LT count (p = 0.287), but a non-significant reduction in CD8+ LT count was observed in the ILIB group (p = 0.173). There were no statistically significant differences between groups for any outcome (p > 0.17). The study was stopped prematurely during the interim analysis. ILIB, as an adjuvant therapy to ART, did not show clinical or statistical superiority in the immunological and virological parameters evaluated. RBR-7j9rv5d (https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/trial/10848).