Slightly tenuous question.....

[Matthew_]

I think the answer is no or nobody knows but if you don't ask.....

Testosterone is a hormone which varies in amounts from person to person. I know that high levels of testosterone can suppress the immune system and high-t individuals tend to carry a high parasite burden. Does anyone know of a link with KC?

[rosemary johnson]

I think the answer is no or nobody knows but if you don't ask.....

Testosterone is a hormone which varies in amounts from person to person. I know that high levels of testosterone can suppress the immune system and high-t individuals tend to carry a high parasite burden. Does anyone know of a link with KC?

Hi Matthew!
Well, I certainly don't know..... though I suppose there are some of our dearly beloved health care professional types who'd say that might explain why we are all such bloody-minded belligerent types...!
I didn't know that high testosterone levels suppressed immunity - though as it is a steroid, and taking steroids (as medicines, I mean) reduces one's resistance to virus diseases, so I suppose it wouldn't be implausible for high levels of endogenous (ie. what you make yourself) t. might too.
Never heard of the parasite burden thing - you mean like the intestinal worms we have to keep dosing the horses (and dogs) against? Oo-err.
I presume you mean endogenous, naturally-produce testosterone, rathr than people who have been dosed up on the stuff like the old communist bloc athletes?
Rosemary
(of suitable size and shape to have CCCP on the back of her tracksuit, but alas far too weak and flabby)

[Matthew_]

Yeah, I mean naturally occuring testosterone. Its basically a steroid as you say. It is a sex-hormone but it also assists with physical development and some think it affects cerebral development. High-T individuals show tendencies for risk taking and dominance but also according to a theory called right-shift theory, high-t in men and low-t in women leads to smaller assymetrical brains which assists in language development but at he cost of other cognitive processes (according to the theory). It has a down side because it suppresses the immune system so the individual is less resistant to disease (ie has a higher number of parasites - bugs & germs not worms). Its a classic evolutionary trade-off as testosterone increases the chance of reproductive success but shortens life-span. I just wondered whether it might increase the chance of a degenerative condition such as KC. That wouldn't mean every keratoconic was high-t; it would simply be another factor in what must be a very complex mechanism.

[Lynn White]

Hi Matthew!

A very interesting question as in fact many studies seem to point to the fact that more men get KC than women. The truthful answer is, of course, "unknown" as this has never, to my knowledge, been studied.

However, lots of things about KC have never been studied! I have personally been on a mission to try and get more KC studies initiated for some years now, but with little luck. However, my recent visits to Trinidad and South Africa (just back from there) seem to be stirring things up, certainly in those countries. They both have high levels of KC (or perceived high levels of KC - there is this theory that you will find it anywhere if you look hard enough) which appear to be genetically linked and in discussions with professionals in both countries, I have now set up a website called "Keratoconus Evaluation Network" http://www.kcen.org

We are hoping to initiate studies in both countries and pool the results and this site has a forum where all interested parties can join in the debate. For example, in light of newer technology being able to detect milder and milder forms of KC, how do we define it? When I was there, I did some screening of schoolchildren and out of 300 just coming to the Vision 2008 congress for basic vision screening we picked up 3 KC and several suspects. Now, in some respects people could argue that what I found on topography was not strictly KC - but it was not normal either! The argument may only be settled after these cases have been monitored for a few years (some of the children with KC like corneas were only around 9). Perhaps there is a subtle scale dividing full and "mild" KC that reaches back into "normal" refractive prescriptions.

Anyway, I have wandered right off topic here, so apologies! However, you are all welcome to join the forum and pose questions like Matthew's here!


Lynn