Primary Sj?gren's syndrome with antibodies to HTLV-I: clinical and laboratory features. |
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Authors: | K Eguchi N Matsuoka H Ida M Nakashima M Sakai S Sakito A Kawakami K Terada H Shimada Y Kawabe et al. |
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Affiliation: | First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan. |
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Abstract: | The prevalence of antibodies to human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) was studied in patients with primary Sjögren''s syndrome. Thirteen of 36 serum samples were positive by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and particle agglutination assay for antibodies to HTLV-I and were confirmed by western blotting. The presence of antibodies to HTLV-I may signify an HTLV-I carrier state. These patients had a high occurrence of extraglandular manifestations such as uveitis, myopathy, and recurrent high fever compared with patients who did not have antibodies to HTLV-I. Patients with antibodies to HTLV-I had an increased spontaneous proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells compared with those without the antibodies. The proportions of activated and memory T cells (HLA-DR+ CD3+, CD25+ CD3+, and CD29+ CD4+ cells) were higher in HTLV-I carriers than in non-carriers. The presence of antibodies to HTLV-I in some patients with primary Sjögren''s syndrome suggests that HTLV-I may cause primary Sjögren''s syndrome or its extraglandular manifestations, or both. |
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