dgreen@squid.cs.ucla.edu (Dan R. Greening) (04/13/90)
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.COM (Steve Dyer) writes: >mel@iies.ecn.purdue.edu (Meloney D Cregor) writes: >>Any person on allergy drugs would have a greater chance of contracting >>AIDS if they were exposed to the HIV virus. > >Oh, yeah? Cite your references. Balderdash. Sorry Steve. Circumstantial evidence suggests it is true. Many allergy medications do down your T-cell response. Beconase, for example, is supremely effective at this, which is why you are supposed to stop taking it if you get a cold. It is great stuff, but I've also noticed that I'm more susceptible to infections when I'm on it. I have been told on occasion to stop taking ANY allergy medications except Nasalcrom before getting blood-work at NIH. Why? Because anti-histamines and steroids knock down the T-cell response to gp160, one of the proteins on the HIV-coat. Why do I know this? Because it happened to me. I don't think this material is published, though. I can ask. Do you really want a reference? Nasalcrom seems to be OK because it only inhibits mast cell production. Dan Greening | NY 914-784-7861 | 12 Foster Court dgreen@cs.ucla.edu | CA 213-825-2266 | Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) (04/14/90)
In article <34172@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> dgreen@squid () writes: >Sorry Steve. Circumstantial evidence suggests it is true. Many allergy >medications do down your T-cell response. Beconase, for example, is supremely >effective at this, which is why you are supposed to stop taking it if you >get a cold. It is great stuff, but I've also noticed that I'm more >susceptible to infections when I'm on it. Beconase is a corticosteroid, not an antihistamine. I am not challenging its effects on the immune system. >I have been told on occasion to stop taking ANY allergy medications >except Nasalcrom before getting blood-work at NIH. Why? Because >anti-histamines and steroids knock down the T-cell response to gp160, >one of the proteins on the HIV-coat. Why do I know this? Because it >happened to me. I don't think this material is published, though. >I can ask. Do you really want a reference? There is a difference between attempting to control a population in a research group on antibody development to HIV proteins and making a claim that antihistamines increase your susceptibility to the AIDS virus. I would appreciate a reference if you can get one. >Nasalcrom seems to be OK because it only inhibits mast cell production. Well, that's not quite what it does. It inhibits the antigen-mediated release of autacoids such as histamine from mast cells. -- Steve Dyer dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer dyer@arktouros.mit.edu, dyer@hstbme.mit.edu
dgreen@cs.ucla.edu (Dan R. Greening) (04/14/90)
Steve Dyer writes: >Dan Greening writes: >>Many allergy medications do down your T-cell response. Beconase, for >>example, is supremely effective at this. >Beconase is a corticosteroid, not an antihistamine. I am not challenging >its effects on the immune system. Beconase is also an allergy medication, which was the original topic that you challenged. If you were referring solely to antihistamines, you should have said so. >There is a difference between attempting to control a population in a research >group on antibody development to HIV proteins and making a claim that >antihistamines increase your susceptibility to the AIDS virus. >I would appreciate a reference if you can get one. OK, the reference will take work and time to get. Someone is investigating. (You now owe me one.) Here is the jist from a conversation with an NIH research staff member, who is likely to know. There is no evidence that antihistamines down the immune system's response to the HIV virus. However, there is evidence that antihistamines alter immune system function. Specifically, some T cells have antihistamine receptors. Based on that, and a drop in my T-cell response to gp160, I was asked to stop taking both corticosteroids and antihistamines. I expect to get the reference(s) on Tuesday, and they will be posted then. Hope that helps. -- Dan Greening | NY 914-784-7861 | 12 Foster Court dgreen@cs.ucla.edu | CA 213-825-2266 | Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) (04/14/90)
In article <34196@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> dgreen@cs.ucla.edu (Dan R. Greening) writes: >>Beconase is a corticosteroid, not an antihistamine. I am not challenging >>its effects on the immune system. >Beconase is also an allergy medication, which was the original topic that >you challenged. If you were referring solely to antihistamines, you should >have said so. Well, you now understand my intent--I'm referring to the claim about antihistamines. In this case, it was a matter of ignoring the obvious, but it could have been clearer. >Here is the jist from a conversation with an NIH >research staff member, who is likely to know. > >There is no evidence that antihistamines down the immune system's response >to the HIV virus. However, there is evidence that antihistamines alter >immune system function. Specifically, some T cells have antihistamine >receptors. I am sure that he meant "histamine receptors". That's no surprise at all. (It would be surprising if there weren't.) However, let me reemphasize the point lest someone come away from this misinformed; It is important to exclude undue external influences on experimental subjects which might affect the results of a HIV vaccine research program, which is what Dan is participating in. This decision on the investigators' part does not address at all the clinical implications of any effects of antihistamines on immune system function (cell mediated immunity, excluding acute histamine-mediated reactions such as are seen in allergies.) If there are, it would almost certainly be a secondary phenomenon, since there have been billions of doses of antihistamines dispensed over the past 45 years. To echo the NIH researcher: there is no evidence that antihistamines have any effect whatsoever on the body's immune response to the HIV virus. Which is not to say that there might not be some effect uncovered in the future. But to claim so now is unfounded and simple fearmongering. -- Steve Dyer dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer dyer@arktouros.mit.edu, dyer@hstbme.mit.edu
dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) (04/14/90)
In article <34196@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> dgreen@cs.ucla.edu (Dan R. Greening) writes: >>Beconase is a corticosteroid, not an antihistamine. I am not challenging >>its effects on the immune system. >Beconase is also an allergy medication, which was the original topic that >you challenged. If you were referring solely to antihistamines, you should >have said so. I thought I'd give an analogy for why I didn't elaborate on my objection. If someone said "corticosteroids and jello increase one's susceptibility to AIDS", it would not be too incomprehensible that someone knowledgable might say "That's nonsense" without going into the details. S/he would have realized that corticosteroids are well known to affect the immune system and that jello is not quite so notorious. This might not be so clear to a layperson. -- Steve Dyer dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer dyer@arktouros.mit.edu, dyer@hstbme.mit.edu