Dermatological findings of human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis

Abstract

Dermatological findings for patients with human T lymphotropic virus type 1(HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) were investigated and were compared with dermatological findings for a control group. Only xerosis, cutaneous candidiasis, and palmar erythema were significantly associated with HAM/TSP. Histopathological patterns of cutaneous lymphoma were seen in 25% of 32 patients who underwent biopsy, and, thus, the cutaneous alterations in HAM/TSP can be classified into nonspecific lesions, infectious lesions, immune-inflammatory-mediated lesions, and premalignant or malignant lesions.