HTLV-1 neurologic disease can begin in childhood

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In a Peruvian family cohort program following children born to mothers infected with HTLV-1, a cross-sectional study using standardized history and neurologic examination of 58 children infected with HTLV-1 and 42 uninfected children was performed and findings compared. The study is imperfect, due to limitations of sample size and incomplete application of study methodology, which preludes meaningful statistical comparisons between groups. Findings show previously unrecognized abnormalities of neurologic examination (especially hyperreflexia of the lower extremities and clonus) in many children infected with HTLV-1. The study, which included a standardized neurologic examination by physicians blinded to HTLV-1 status, stands alone, providing high quality data. This report together with future cohorts from other areas in which HTLV-1 is endemic would lend to meta-analysis in order to validate early findings and risk factors for progression of neurologic disease and to push prevention and development of treatment in childhood.

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