title: Prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in patients with HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP).
abstract: While the most common neurological disorder associated with Human T lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) infection in the endemic areas is HTLV-1 associated myelopathy also know as tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), other disorders such as optic neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy and cerebellar diseases have also been reported in patient with this infection. In this paper, we studied the prevalence of peripheral nerve involvement in patients with HAM/TSP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy three patients diagnosed with HAM/TSP in accordance to criteria set by the World Health Organization (WHO) were evaluated in this cross-sectional study. Clinical and electrodiagnostic criteria were used for the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Electrodiagnostic studies showed that 30.1% of patients with HAM/TSP had peripheral nerve involvement. All patients had predominantly axonal neuropathy with sensory-motor polyneuropathy being the most common neuropathy observed in our patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Peripheral neuropathy may be more common than previously thought and should be checked systematically in all patients with HAM/TSP.
authors.affiliation: Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors.forename: Morteza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saeidi
authors.forename: Payam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sasannejad
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foroughipour
authors.forename: SaeedReza
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shahami
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shoeibi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004568:Electrodiagnosis / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult