Acute human T-lymphotropic virus type 1-associated myelopathy: a clinicopathologic study.
BACKGROUND
Recently, acute human T-lymphotropic virus type 1-associated myelopathy (HAM) was reported clinically without pathologic information. We report an autopsy case of acute HAM.


OBJECTIVE
To report the case of a 52-year-old man with acute-onset gait disturbance followed by rapidly progressive paraplegia, who died 9 months later.


RESULTS
The postmortem study showed swelling of the thoracic spinal cord. Histologically, there was inflammation and vacuolation in the white matter.


CONCLUSIONS
We propose that these pathologic findings, mimicking tropical spastic paraparesis, may represent the characteristic pathologic features of acute HAM.
Kasahata
Naoki
N
Department of Neurology, Center for Cerebrovascular Disorders, Ushioda General Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
Shiota
Junichi
J
Miyazawa
Yumi
Y
Nakano
Imaharu
I
Murayama
Shigeo
S
D001344:Autopsy; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000821:virology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology