Q: You mentioned in your report that corticosteroids and glucocorticoids are the "major causative agent in the U.S. AIDS epidemic." Could you explain what these two drugs are, how in your opinion they became major players in the AIDS epidemic and which medications use corticosteroids and glucocorticoids? http://www.aidsmyth.addr.com/report/articles/010520al-bayati.htm

Cortisol has many functions and some of these functions are the inhibition of protein synthesis and the enhancement of glucose synthesis in liver during food deprivation. In starvation cortisol is released from the adrenal glands to convert protein and lipid to glucose in liver. Glucose is the primary fuel for heart and brain. Therefore, people who are suffering from malnutrition have high levels of cortisol in blood and urine and the cortisol levels usually go down following feeding a balance diet for certain duration. For example, the lymphocyte function of 30 black children with severe malnutrition as assessed by the delayed hypersensitivity reaction and morphology of lymphocyte transformation was found to be impaired and serum cortisol level was elevated. The function of lymphocyte and cortisol level returned to normal after 30 days of feeding [Zeng et al., Hua His. I Ko. Ta. Hsueh Pao 22(3): 337-9, 1991].

We learned about the anti-inflammatory function of cortisol in the 1940s. It was approved by the US FDA to be used as immunosuppressant agent to be given to patients who needed organ transplants. Corticosteroids usually depress the functions and the size of the immune system; therefore, reducing the chance of rejecting the new organ by the host. People who are treated with high doses of corticosteroids for periods of months usually suffer from low T cells counts and AIDS-defining illness such as tuberculosis, Kaposi's sarcoma, and other illnesses as described in Fauci's vast number of publications.

The use of glucocorticoid compounds has been increasing with time and in the USA, more than 10 million Americans use glucocorticoid as anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy drug per year. The effect of these compounds on the immune system depends upon the amount and the duration of use. However, the damage is reversible in most cases.

In the USA, the total cases of AIDS in adults was 573,800 as of January 1, 1997 with about 90% of these cases being male homosexuals, and heterosexual and homosexual drug users (Fauci, et al., 1998. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. New York USA, ed. 14). Inhaling cocaine and heroin use causes many respiratory illnesses that require long-term treatment with glucocorticoids. In addition, there are many other drug-induced illnesses such as thrombocytopenia, peripheral neuropathy, and chronic kidney problems that are treated with high doses of glucocorticoids. In my book, I list more than 30 conditions in risk groups that are treated with high doses of glucocorticoids (Tables 12-15) and the doses used to treat each of these condition can cause AIDS. I gave many examples in my answer to Q4, which shows that treatment of individuals with prednisone for lung fibrosis and other illnesses induced by drugs, cause AIDS. In my answer to Q4, I also gave examples for the use of prednisone by homosexuals to treat chronic inflammation of the colon that resulted in the reduction of CD4+ T cells counts. The HIV-positive patients who selected to have surgery to remove the inflamed portion of their colon and eliminate the use of prednisone, the reduction of CD4+ T cells was reversed following the termination of the glucocorticoids.

Hemophiliac patients are treated with high doses of glucocorticoids and other immunosuppressant agents. These facts are explained in Fauci's book, Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine [McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. New York USA, ed. 14].
The hemophiliac patients are treated with immunosuppressive agents (cyclophosphamide and glucocorticoids) to prevent the development of antibodies against factors VIII and IX. Patients with severe hemophilia also have serious chronic joint problems resulting from bleeding inside the joints. The chronic joints problems are treated with glucocorticoids.