Abstract
Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infections are associated with varying degrees of HTLV-1 viral load and spasticity. Increased viral load is associated with higher risk of developing HTLV-1–associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). The authors performed a cross-sectional study of 24 people with HAM/TSP in Lima, Perú, to determine if higher HTLV-1 viral load was correlated with increased muscle tone, measured with a device providing quantitative spasticity assessment (QSA). Median HTLV-1 viral load was 17.0 copies/100 peripheral blood mononuclear cells and QSA value was 39.9 Newton-meters/radian. HTLV-1 viral load was significantly correlated with QSA value (Spearman rho = .48, P = .02), suggesting viral load may play a role in expression of symptomatic neurologic disease. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine if treatments that reduce viral load will reduce muscle tone.
The current address of S. M. Mantano is U.S. Naval Medical Research Center Detachment, Lima, Perú.
This work was presented in part at the 12th International Conference on Human Retrovirology, Montego Bay, Jamaica, June 2005; abstract P18.
Disclaimer. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, the U.S. Government, University of Washington nor Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.
This work was supported by NIH grants K23-AI01600, TW00679; AI0714P; Fogarty International grant T22-TW00001; and University of Washington Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) grant AI27757.