Myasthenia gravis, acute transverse myelitis, and HTLV-I.
We present the unusual case of a 49-year-old female carrier of HTLV-I with myasthenia gravis who presented with acute transverse myelitis. Laboratory data suggested a recent infection with varicella zoster virus and demyelination by an autoimmune process in the central nervous system. Adult T-cell leukemia-like cells were observed in the cerebrospinal fluid. T-cell-mediated immune responses modulated by HTLV-I infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis and acute transverse myelitis in this case.
Ijichi
T
T
Department of Internal Medicine, Shakaihoken Kobe Central Hospital, Japan.
Adachi
Y
Y
Nishio
A
A
Kanaitsuka
T
T
Ohtomo
T
T
Nakamura
M
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D002353:Carrier State; D005260:Female; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000150:complications*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; D006801:Humans; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications*; D009188:Myelitis, Transverse / Q000150:complications*