MEDICAL UPDATE: DHEA As Predictor of Progression to AIDS


MEDICAL UPDATE: DHEA As Predictor of Progression to AIDS

Being Alive; April 1992
presented by Mark Katz MD and reported by Jim Stoecker

DHEA is a substance produced by the adrenal gland and is a precursor to steroid hormones. This substance is believed to increase the synthesis of interleukin 2 (IL-2) in the body. DHEA is known to protect against obesity, diabetes and perhaps breast cancer.

DHEA is also being looked at as a possible treatment for HIV disease. As we learn more about IL-2, we realize that it is a potent immune stimulant. Anything that boosts IL-2 production may have an important part to play in fighting HIV.

Researchers are also looking at the level of DHEA as a marker for HIV disease progression. A study in a recent Journal of Infectious Diseases followed over two hundred HIV+ people over a period of some five years. The lowest levels of DHEA were found in those who were showing some signs of disease progression. Slightly higher levels were detected in those who remained stable. Highest levels were found in the seronegative control group.

DHEA levels seem to be one more way to gauge HIV progression. There also appears to be therapeutic implications. Will giving people DHEA change them from progressors to non-progressors? The implications seem significant enough to warrant many more studies.
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