Prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in patients with HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis...

While the most common neurological disorder associated with Human T lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) infection in the endemic areas is HTLV-1 associated myelopathy also know as tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), other disorders such as optic neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy and cerebellar diseases have also been reported in patient with this infection. In this paper, we studied the prevalence of peripheral nerve involvement in patients with HAM/TSP.

Seventy three patients diagnosed with HAM/TSP in accordance to criteria set by the World Health Organization (WHO) were evaluated in this cross-sectional study. Clinical and electrodiagnostic criteria were used for the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy.

Electrodiagnostic studies showed that 30.1% of patients with HAM/TSP had peripheral nerve involvement. All patients had predominantly axonal neuropathy with sensory-motor polyneuropathy being the most common neuropathy observed in our patients.

Peripheral neuropathy may be more common than previously thought and should be checked systematically in all patients with HAM/TSP.