INTRODUCTION: the HTLV-1 is a human retrovirus associated with adult T-cell leukaemia (ATL) and with HTLV-1- associated myelopathy or tropical spastic paraparesis, which has also been implicated in the development of autoimmunity. OBJECTIVE: the aim of this study was to determine the frequency of autoimmune rheumatic diseases in patients infected with HTLV-1. PATIENTS AND METHODS: it was included 137 individuals infected with HTLV-1 from the Multidisciplinary Ambulatory of Immunology Service, HUPES-UFBA, Salvador (BA), from January 2003 to May 2004. All participants answered to a general questionnaire regarding rheumathological manifestations and specific questionnaires to confirm the diagnose criteria of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) and polymyositis. Additionally, they were submitted to specific clinical exams, besides complementary evaluations. RESULTS: 24 patients had diagnose of probable Sjögren’s syndrome (17.5%), 18 patients (13.1%) had RA, one patient had diagnose of SLE (0.7%) and another of mixed connective tissue disease (0.7%, respectively). HTLV-1-associated arthropathy (HAAP) was suspected in 22 individuals (16.1%). Sjögren’s syndrome and RA were more frequent in patients with myelopathy (33.3 and 25.9%, respectively) than in asymptomatic carriers (13.6 and 10%, respectively). The frequency of HTLV-1-associated arthropathy was the same in both groups. CONCLUSION: in this study it was observed a high frequency of Sjögren’s syndrome and RA in individuals infected with HTLV-1, mainly in those with myelopathy. Therefore, with this results that support data in the literature, we should call attention to the occurrence of autoimmune rheumatic diseases in these kind of patients.
HTLV-1; difuse connective tissue diseases; autoimmune rheumatic diseases
