Resumo

URQUIZO AYALA, Guillermo; ISABEL CUSICANQUI, María  e  TEJADA, María Eugenia. Paraparesia espástica tropical: a propósito de un caso clínico. Cuad. - Hosp. Clín. [online]. 2006, vol.51, n.1, pp. 71-73. ISSN 1652-6776.

We present the case of a female patient who initially was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and adequately compensated with levotiroxin . In spite of the otherwise successfultreatment, neurological symptoms persisted. The neurological examination showed datasuggestive of tropical spastic paraparesis,a disease caused by HTVL-1. The diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory tests. The patient was treated with pentoxifiline and vitamin C, initially with a good clinical response. Later on, however, exacerbation of the neurological symptoms resulted, as usually happens in this disease. In our country, tropical spastic paraparesis is endemic but only sporadically diagnosed. We review the most relevant aspects of epidemiology, the diagnostic difficulty in this case, and the therapeutic options for this neurological disease.

Palavras-chave : Tropical spastic paraparesis; HTLV-1; myelopathy.