You mentioned in a response to another query that an intensification of allergies can be a sign of IRIS. From the material I have read, IRIS usually happens soon after starting treatment and to people with very low numbers but rising. Can it happen as late as the fourth month of therapy and at a higher (380, up from a baseline of 237) Cd4? There is a history of chronic allergy and asthma in my family. I have dealt with always with allergies. Out of the blue, my allergies got really intense, food and airborne. I get suddenly and intensely hot to the point I sweat when I get one of these reactions. They got severe enough to keep me out of work briefly. My ANA test came back negative and the CMC and CBCs came within normal ranges. Will be doing the needles test next week. I am quite confused and trying to find an explanation for this unprecedented escalation of this condition.

It has been my experience that improved immune function due to ART can cause flares ups of a wide range of allergies/skin conditions which is not exactly immune reconstitution syndrome (IRIS) but rather an unfortunate result of increased immune function. Literature is spotty on that matter. KH