A case of HTLV-I associated myelopathy(HAM) in Korea.
10.3349/ymj.1991.32.2.190
- Author:
Jae Hyeon PARK
1
;
Byun In LEE
;
Sae Il LEE
;
Mitsuhiro OSAME
Author Information
1. Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords:
HTLV-1;
Myelopathy;
TSP
- MeSH:
Adult;
Blotting, Western;
HTLV-I Antibodies/analysis;
Human;
Korea/epidemiology;
Male;
Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic/*epidemiology/immunology
- From:Yonsei Medical Journal
1991;32(2):190-194
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
We report the first Korean case of HTLV-I associated myelopathy (HAM), which was confirmed by Western blot assay of serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Interestingly, the proband's wife was a Japanese Korean who had lived in the endemic area of HAM, Kyushu. Japan, Investigations revealed significantly elevated anti HTLV-I antibody titers in the serum, but not in the CSF, suggesting that she was a carrier of HTLV-I. Considering that the patient had not had a previous blood transfusion, the most common route of HTLV-I, it is likely that the patient was infected by his wife through sexual intercourse. Although previous reports suggest that the transmission of HTLV-I is essentially from man to man or man to woman, our case suggests that woman to man transmission also occurs.
