title: Difficulties in HAM/TSP diagnosis.
abstract: The World Health Organization recommends the use of Osame's criterion (1990) for the diagnosis of HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM/TSP). In 2006, a group of neurologists developed a Brazilian criterion that can diagnose HAM/TSP from its onset.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  It was to test the agreement between both criteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included evaluation of clinical and laboratory findings of 35 patients. The ELISA, Western blot and/or polymerase chain reaction was used to search for anti-HTLV-I antibodies. The analysis of agreement was based on the calculation of Kappa.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Concordance of 100% (Kappa=1) occurred in cases of "defined" HAM/TSP, but not in patients with "probable" diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Brazilian criteria was as effective as Osame's criteria for the diagnosis of "defined" HAM/TSP. However, both require more specific biological markers in cerebrospinal fluid for the laboratory diagnosis of probable cases.
authors.affiliation: Neuroinfection Clinic, Hospital Universitário Gaffrée e Guinle (HUGG), Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brazil. carla.msas@gmail.com
authors.forename: Carla Maria Sena Andrade
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Slater
authors.forename: Luiz Claudio Pereira
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Marzia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puccioni-Sohler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies