Increase in IGE in AIDS and DHEA

Copyright, James Michael Howard, Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.A.

In 1985 I first suggested that low DHEA would result in AIDS.  I
thought that the symptoms of AIDS actually represented the loss of
DHEA as AIDS progresses.  The following is part of a treatise I wrote
on DHEA in asthma which indicates that, indeed, the loss of DHEA might
account for the symptoms of AIDS.  This is seen in the increase in IGE
with progression of AIDS and that DHEA reduces IGE.  That is, IGE
increases in AIDS as DHEA declines.

"DHEA is very low in young children, begins to increase around age
five reaching a peak around age twenty to twenty-five, then begins to
decline to very low levels in old age.  DHEA lowers IGE in mice
(Immunol Lett. 2001 Dec 3;79(3):177-9 and Clin Exp Allergy. 1999
Mar;29(3):414-22).  The decline of DHEA in the elderly may explain why
IGE increases in elderly people with asthma (Allergy Asthma Proc. 2004
Sep-Oct;25(5):321-5).  Environmental smoke and obesity has been
connected with childhood asthma.  Smoking and obesity have been
connected with reductions in DHEA.  DHEA is known to be low in HIV /
AIDS and IGE levels increase with progression of AIDS (Rev Alerg Mex.
2004 Mar-Apr;51(2):54-60)."