title: Immunologic response and proviral load in human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infected individuals with erectile dysfunction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the immune response and proviral load in individuals with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and erectile dysfunction (ED) compared with those in the controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a cross-sectional study of 102 men aged 18-70 years with positive serology for HTLV-1, who were interviewed from 2004 to 2010. The study sample was divided into 2 groups: group 1, 42 HTLV-1-infected men with ED, as determined by the International Index of Erectile Function-5 score; and group 2, 60 HTLV-1-infected men without ED. The cytokines interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α, and the proviral load were analyzed between the 2 groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with those without ED, the men with ED had greater levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (545.37 ± 877.06 vs 509.39 ± 724.70 pg/mL) and interferon-γ (1154.35 ± 1282.98 vs 1122.78 ± 1573.16 pg/mL), but this difference was not significant (P = .69 and P = .57, respectively). The proviral load was 135,695 ± 190,113 copies/10(5) cells in the ED group and 47,607 ± 83,129 copies/10(5) cells in the non-ED patients, with a statistically significant difference (P = .02). When ED was stratified as mild, moderate, and severe, no difference was found in the proviral load among the ED groups (P = .09); however, the levels were greater in the severe forms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association of a greater proviral load in men with ED with HTLV-1 gives support to the idea that ED is part of the autonomic syndrome related to viral infection and should be investigated for early identification of the syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunologic Service, University Hospital Professor Edgard Santos, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador-Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Matheus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tannus
authors.forename: Davi T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Néviton M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Natália
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Rosana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Silvane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Edgar M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011533:Proviruses; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma