title: Association between onychodystrophy and human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection and onychodystrophy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study. At our institute, we provide HTLV-1 testing to relatives of HTLV-1-infected people and patients with suspected HTLV-1-associated diseases. The diagnosis of onychodystrophy was made clinically before testing for HTLV-1; the number and distribution of affected nails was registered. We assessed the association between onychodystrophy and HTLV-1 through bi- and multivariable analyses. Logistic regression was used to adjust for age, sex, and indication for HTLV-1 testing, using six affected nails (90(th) percentile) as the cut-off point.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between April 2006 and March 2008, we included 893 subjects; their mean age was 38 years (standard deviation 19 years), and 527 (59%) were women. Onychodystrophy of one or more nails was observed in 323 participants (36%), and 236 subjects (26%) were HTLV-1-positive. The median number of affected nails was higher in HTLV-1-positive than in HTLV-1-negative subjects (Mann-Whitney test, p < 0.001). Thirty-eight of 97 subjects with six or more affected nails (39%) were HTLV-1-infected, compared to 198 of 796 subjects with fewer than six affected nails (25%) (crude OR 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-3.1; p = 0.003). This association remained significant in the multiple logistic regression model (adjusted OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.3; p = 0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an independent association between HTLV-1 infection and onychodystrophy. Patients with an HTLV-1 infection might have a higher risk for onychomycosis given the abnormal nail plate and a decreased T-cell-mediated immunologic response.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Alexander von Humboldt", Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru. erick.mayer@gmail.com
authors.forename: Erick F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ita
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Kristien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Verdonck
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bravo
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gotuzzo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009260:Nail Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D055815:Young Adult