Prevalence of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 associated inflammatory myopathies (HAIM) in Salvador, Brazil

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) causes inflammatory diseases and is associated with various muscle abnormalities, including polymyositis. Elevated serum creatine kinase (CPK) levels are typically indicative of muscle damage.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HTLV-1 associated inflammatory myopathies (HAIM) in a large cohort of People living with HTLV-1 from Salvador, Brazil. Additionally, we sought to describe the clinical, laboratory, and histopathological findings of seven HTLV-1-infected patients with persistent hyperCKemia.

This study included 503 HTLV-1-infected patients from a cohort in Salvador, Brazil, who were analyzed for creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels. Clinical, laboratory, and pathologic examinations were performed in patients whose CPK levels were above the upper limit of the normal range in the two tests performed at different time points.

Polymyositis was the main cause of HAIM in the study population, with a prevalence rate of 0.6%. Two cases were diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and mitochondrial disease, and in two other patients the cause of hyperCKemia could not be determined and is currently under investigation.

Polymyositis was the main cause of HAIM in this cfohort of People living with HTLV-1.