[Cutaneous manifestations detected in human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 infected Chilean blood donors]

Most human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infected individuals are asymptomatic, but they commonly present cutaneous lesions that could be considered warning signs of the disease.

To identify the main cutaneous manifestations present in HTLV-1 infected blood donors and compare them with healthy donors.

Two blood donor groups from the blood bank of an emergency hospital were matched according to gender and age. One group was formed by HTLV-1 (+) (cases) and the other by HTLV-1 (-) donors (controls). A blind examiner to the serologic condition, evaluated their cutaneous manifestations.

Twenty five cases and 25 controls aged 18 to 60 years (24 females) were evaluated. One or more cutaneous manifestations were found in 24 (96%) cases and in 15 (60%) controls (p<0.01). Inflammatory cutaneous diseases were found in 19 (76%) cases and in 9 (36%) controls (p<0.01). Dermatophytosis was found in 18 (72%) cases and in 12 (48%) controls (NS).

HTLV-1 infected Chilean subjects have a higher frequency of dermatoses than their healthy counterparts.