PLoS ONE (Jan 2017)

CT Chest and pulmonary functional changes in patients with HTLV-associated myelopathy in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon.

  • Luiz Fábio Magno Falcão,
  • Aline Semblano Carreira Falcão,
  • Rita Catarina Medeiros Sousa,
  • Waldônio de Brito Vieira,
  • Robson Tadachi Moraes de Oliveira,
  • Valéria Marques Ferreira Normando,
  • George Alberto da Silva Dias,
  • Marcio Clementino de Souza Santos,
  • Rodrigo Santiago Barbosa Rocha,
  • Gilberto Toshimitsu Yoshikawa,
  • Roberta Vilela Lopes Koyama,
  • Satomi Fujihara,
  • Víctor Augusto Cavaleiro Corrêa,
  • Hellen Thais Fuzii,
  • Juarez Antônio Simões Quaresma

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186055
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 11
p. e0186055

Abstract

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The aim of this study was to compare computed tomography (CT) scans of chest and lung function among patients with Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV) with and without HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). In this cross-sectional study performed between January 2013 and June 2016, we included 48 patients with HAM/TSP (19 women and 11 men) and without HAM/TSP (12 women and 6 men). We compared CT findings and lung functions of these groups. Patients who had HAM/TSP had abnormal CT findings (P = 0.000), including more frequent bronchiectasis (P = 0.049), parenchymal bands (P = 0.007), interlobular septal thickening (P = 0.035), and pleural thickening (P = 0.009). In addition, neither patients with HAM/TSP (9/30; 30%) nor the controls (0/18; 0%) had obstructive or restrictive lung disease (P = 0.009). HTLV diagnosis should be considered in all patients with abnormal CT findings in whom no other cause is apparent. It is important to remember that lung disease increases the rates of morbidity and mortality in developing countries.