title: [HTLV-I and ocular disease].
abstract: Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) has an etiologic role in adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and HTLV-I associated myelopathy (HAM). This paper reviews the ophthalmic literature relevant to the retrovirus. Patients with ATL may have intraocular invasion of proliferated T lymphocytes, lymphomatous lesion in the ocular adnexa, or cytomegalovirus retinitis due to immunocompromisation. Patients with the chronic neurological disease HAM may present with retinal vasculitis, isolated cotton-wool spots, probably immune-mediated uveitis, and/or retinochoroidal degenerative change. Similar retinal vascular or uveal inflammatory disease is occasionally seen in otherwise healthy HTLV-I carriers. Clinical and epidemiologic data suggest the existence of HTLV-I associated uveitis (HAU) that is assumed to be associated with the retrovirus. Further ophthalmic research is encouraged to elucidate the clinical significance of the worldwide HTLV-I infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohba
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakao
mesh_terms: D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology; D015828:Eye Infections, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006678:HIV; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic