Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1994. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Gay Men's Health Crisis: Treatment Issues, Volume 8 no. 4 - June 1994
David Gold
Dr. Alonso's hyperthermia procedure involves withdrawing blood from the patient, then heating it to 110 degrees Fahrenheit and returning the blood to the patient. Hyperthermia attracted widespread attention in 1990 when a few patients with AIDS claimed a "remission" after undergoing the procedure. Some individuals were reportedly charged upwards of $30,000 for the treatment. At the time, the National Institutes of Health stated that it found no benefit to hyperthermia therapy. Concerns about hyperthermia include the fact that a significant number of patients died from the procedure (seven percent in one trial) as well as the procedure's high price. In addition, it is unlikely that removing blood and "treating" it will affect the lymph system, where much of the early HIV replication occurs. Nevertheless, Biocontrol, a Pittsburgh-based company, is developing the hyperthermia procedure. The company claims that "favorable results" were seen from the hyperthermia procedure on KS patients.
In what is no doubt a bit of an understatement, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey), who pushed the FDA to allow the trial to proceed, suggested "we are far from announcing a cure for AIDS."
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