Frequency of mental disturbances in HTLV-1 patients in the state of Bahia, Brazil.
Viral infections and chronic diseases have been associated with psychiatric disorders. Among these, increased depression has been reported in HTLV-1 patients. However, no studies on the prevalence of other mental disturbances have been carried out in these patients. Salvador is the city with the highest rate of infection with HTLV-1 in Brazil and it is estimated that approximately 40,000 inhabitants are infected. In our cross sectional study, we examined the frequency of mental disturbances in 50 HTLV-1 seropositive patients followed at the Centro Integrativo e Multidisciplinar de HTLV e Hepatites Virais (CHTLV) of the Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saude Pública (EBMSP) in Salvador from January to November 2007. We used a questionnaire to collect clinical-epidemiologic data and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Brazilian Version 5.0.0 (M.I.N.I.) to evaluate the psychiatric disorders. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the analyses. Twenty-one (42%) HTLV-1 patients had a psychiatric co-morbidity; 17(34%) had mood disorders, 11 (22%) were anxious and one (2%) was an alcoholic. We found a high frequency of mental disturbances among HTLV-1 infected individuals, suggesting a possible association of this infection with psychiatric diseases.
Carvalho
André Gordilho Joaquim de
AG
Centro Integrativo e Multidisciplinar de HTLV e Hepatites Virais, Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, Bahia. andregordilho@atarde.com.br
Galvão-Phileto
Ana Verena
AV
Lima
Nana Santos
NS
Jesus
Rogério Santos de
RS
Galvão-Castro
Bernardo
B
Lima
Manuela Garcia
MG
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires