High seroprevalence of anti–HTLV‐I antibody in rheumatoid arthritis

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Objective. To investigate the association between human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV‐I) infection and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Nagasaki, an area highly endemic for HTLV‐I infection. Methods. Sera from 113 female patients with RA and 19,796 female blood donors were screened for anti–HTLV‐I antibodies with a gelatin particle agglutination kit and confirmed using an immunoblotting kits. Results. The age‐adjusted summary odds ratio of HTLV‐I infection among RA patients, as compared with blood donors, was 2.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.8–4.6). The etiologic fraction, i.e., the proportion of RA in the study population that is attributable to HTLV‐I infection, was estimated to be 13.2% (95% CI 5.1–21.2). There was no significant difference in the clinical and laboratory findings between HTLV‐I–infected and HTLV‐I–uninfected RA patients. Conclusion. These epidemiologic findings support the idea that HTLV‐I infection is a risk factor for RA, and suggest that ∼13% of the cases of RA in females living in Nagasaki are associated with HTLV‐I infection.