Abstract

A MIRANDA CUNA, Jahir; TOVAR LLANOS, Vanessa  and  MONTANO, Juan Manuel. Myelopathy associated with HTLV-1 infection: tropical spastic paraparesia. Acta Neurol Colomb. [online]. 2021, vol.37, n.1, suppl.1, pp.40-46.  Epub May 21, 2021. ISSN 0120-8748.  https://doi.org/10.22379/24224022323.

Myelopathy associated with HTLV-1 infection or tropical spastic paraparesis (MAH / PET) is a chronic degenerative disease of the Central Nervous System that mainly affects the spinal cord. It is associated with infection by human lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) that belongs to the Retroviridae family. Latin America, Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are endemic areas of infection by HTLV-1 and MAH / PET between 2 % and 17 %, most asymptomatic. Colombia has a high prevalence and especially on its Pacific coast. In women, HTLV-1 infection is more prevalent than in men without the cause being clear, it is transmitted by blood transfusions (mainly whole blood), breastfeeding and / or sexual intercourse, which is the most common form of transmission in patients with MAH / PET. MAH / PET occurs mainly in adults, its incubation period until the development of symptoms varies from 2 years to decades. The main clinical manifestations of this disease are slowly progressive paraparesis and spasticity affecting gait, associated with sphincter symptoms, such as neurogenic bladder or constipation. For its diagnosis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, spinal cord and the most used ELISA test are required with confirmation by western blot (WB). Currently there is no specific treatment for HAM / PET. In the future, the use of biomarkers will help early detection of the disease and even as a possible therapeutic target.

Keywords : paraparesis, tropical spastic; HTLV-1; retrovirus (MeSH).

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