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HTLV-1 associated myelopathy in Canada
C Power1, B G Weinshenker, G A Dekaban
1Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, University Hospital, London, Canada.
Abstract:
We report the clinical and laboratory findings of six Canadian patients with progressive myelopathy associated with HTLV-1 infection. The diagnosis was suspected on clinical grounds and supported by serological studies and positive gene amplification. Only five had emigrated from an area endemic for HTLV-1 infection. Tropical spastic paraparesis should be considered in all patients with myelopathy, even those without standard serological markers of HTLV-1 infection. The pathogenesis of this condition and the serological and molecular biological means by which this diagnosis can be made are reviewed.