Balance Impairments in Patients with Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 Infection

Abstract

The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus from the Retroviridae family that infects cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) T-lymphocytes and stimulates their proliferation. A severe consequence of this infection can be the HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), which is associated with a progressive demyelinating disease of the upper motor neurons. The HAM/TSP conditions frequently present with neurological complaints such as gait impairment, sphincter disturbances, and several sensory losses. We compared findings from the posturographic evaluation from the asymptomatic HTLV-1 infected subjects, HTLV-1 infected subjects having HAM/TSP, and control group database. A force plate was used to record the postural oscillations. Analysis of variance and multivariate linear discriminant analysis were used to compare the data obtained from the three groups of participants. In general, HAM/TSP patients had worse postural balance control than did the HTLV-1 patients and the controls (p < 0.05). We found that in six out of ten parameters of the postural balance control, there was a gradual increase in impairment from control to HTLV-1 to HAM/TSP groups. All parameters had higher values with the subject’s eyes closed. The multivariate linear discriminant analysis showed there was a reasonable difference in results between the control and HAM/TSP groups, and the HTLV-1 group was at the intersecting area between them. We found that HAM/TSP patients had worse balance control than did HTLV-1 infected patients and the control group, but asymptomatic HTLV-1 infected patients represent an intermediate balance control status between controls and HAM/TSP patients. Posturographic parameters can be relied on to identify subtle changes in the balance of HTLV-1 patients and to monitor their functional loss. HTLV-1 is a tropical disease that can be transmitted by sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, and breast-feeding. Some infected subjects develop an HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), a condition characterized by spasticity, weakness in lower limbs, and difficulty in walking long distances and going up and down the stairs, besides the history of falls. We compared the body oscillations using a force plate to investigate the postural balance control. HTLV-1 infected patients had imbalance that could be identified by posturographic parameters. Patients with HAM/TSP clearly had balance impairments, while HTLV-1 without HAM/TSP had a subtle impairment that was not seen on clinical scales, suggesting that these patients were in the middle between healthy and HAM/TSP patients, and carried a risk of developing severe imbalance postural control. We suggest that more research should be done with the aim to identify the subtle signs in asymptomatic HTLV-1 patients to investigate if this group of patients need attention similar to the HAM/TSP patients.

Research scenario in physiotherapy for people with human t-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV): scientometric study / Cenário das pesquisas em Fisioterapia para pessoas com Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV): estudo cientométrico

“…Based on the observational studies, it is confirmed that the main problems that affect these patients involve disorders of gait 21,22,8,23 , balance 24,25,26 , pelvic floor 27,28 spasticity 29,30 and pain 10,31,32,33 . These dysfunctions affect daily life activities 5,34 and quality of life 35 .…”

Physiotherapy Methods Applied in the Prevention of Functional Loss Associated with Human T-Lymphotropic Virus 1 Infection: An Overview

“…For Vasconcelos et al (2019) [32], the subtle balance impairment in patients without defined HAM/TSP (i.e., undetected in clinical scales) suggests that these patients may be between healthy patients and HAM/TSP and, thus, may show a risk of developing severe imbalance postural control.…”

A Review of the Potential of Nuclear Factor [Erythroid-Derived 2]-like 2 Activation in Autoimmune Diseases

“…OS induces demyelination and neurodegeneration instantly by lipid peroxidation, proteins, and DNA oxidation [124,125]. Many of the actors involved in this delicately adjusted network are maintained by the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, a main regulator of antioxidant and phase II detoxification genes [120,121,126,127]. This pathway also has a vital role in the inflammation process and thus has significant potential in the treatment of MS [31].…”