Prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in type 2 diabetic patients in Mashhad, northeastern Iran

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of human T cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Mashhad in northeastern Iran. Methods A total of 266 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients (mean age 54.36±11.58 years) attending our unit were compared with 60,892 non-diabetic blood donors for the presence of HTLV-1 infection. Serological testing for HTLV-1 was undertaken using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed in positive HTLV-1 samples. Results PCR confirmed HTLV-1 infection in ten patients. The prevalence of HTLV-1 infection was more than five-fold higher in the diabetic patients than the blood donor group (3.75 vs. 0.663%; p<0.001). There was no apparent association between HTLV-1 infection and age, sex, body mass index, diabetes duration or glycaemic control. Conclusions A higher prevalence of HTLV-1 infection was detected in diabetic patients and this should be borne in mind when treating type 2 diabetic patients in regions where HTLV-1 infection is endemic. Br J Diabetes Vasc Dis 2009; 9:81—83