Ten possible cases of tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) in Northeastern Brazil (Ceará) are presented. They show the typical symptoms and signs of TSP consisting of weakness of the lower limbs, spastic gait, hyperreflexia, bladder dysfunction and variable signs of posterior columns impairment. The laboratory examinations excluded other compressive, infective, degenerative or demyelinating lesio...

The authors review an emerging paradigm of tropical cyclone intensification in the context of the prototype intensification problem, which relates to the spinup of a preexisting vortex near tropical storm strength in a quiescent environment. In addition, the authors review briefly what is known about tropical cyclone intensification in the presence of vertical wind shear. The authors go on to e...

This review follows the contributions of researchers from the Caribbean in improving the understanding of the disease mechanisms, clinical features and aetiology of neurological syndromes manifesting as diseases of the spinal cord and peripheral nerves. The evolution from the initial descriptions of neuropathies of presumed nutritional aetiology and later the recognition of two distinct subgrou...

In 1964, a progressive myelopathy involving the thoracic region was termed Tropical Spastic Paraparesis (TSP). Subsequently a similar myelopathy associated with HTLV-1 antibodies in both serum and CSF patients were found and named HAM (HTLV-1 associated myelopathy).1 The epidemiological, clinical and pathological features of cases from India are similar to the description form rest of World, th...

BACKGROUND Because of the low prevalence of Human T Lymphotropic Virus type I (HTLV-I) in comparison with Khorasan Province, considering HTLV-I as an etiology of spastic paraparesia, it may be neglected in evaluation of spastic paraparesis in the other regions of Iran. Some reports of spastic paraparetic patients due to HTLV-I infection in West Azarbaijan, caused us to reconsider the importance...

human t lymphotropic virus type i (htlv-i) is a retrovirus which is associated with adult t cells leukaemia (atl) and htlv-i-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (ham/tsp) in a minority of htlv-i-infected individuals. it is not clear why a minority of htlv-i-infected individuals develop ham/tsp and majority remains lifelong carriers. it seems that the interaction between the virus...

INTRODUCTION The description of a neurological entity termed “Jamaican peripheral neuritis” by Strachan (1) in 1888 marked the beginning of more than a century of systematic clinical and scientific investigation into an endemic neurological syndrome that is now recognize as tropical spastic paraparesis. It required the work of Scott (2) in 1918 and finally Cruickshank (3) in 1956 to better clin...

discussion bladder over-distention and spontaneous bladder rupture, although very rare in ham/tsp, should be considered in a differential diagnosis of bladder rupture, especially in patients with a history of htlv1. introduction spontaneous bladder rupture is a rare manifestation of hyporeflexic bladder due to ham/tsp( human t-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (htlv1) associated myelopathy/tropica...

A 53-year-old woman with tropical spastic paraparesis (also called human T-lymphotropic virus–associated myelopathy) reported several months of worsening weakness of the legs and feet, which had led to her use of a wheelchair. On examination, she was found to have severe spasticity and weakness of both legs and feet, bilateral Babinski sign, and bilateral patellar clonus (see video). The result...