Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Viruses Medication

Updated: Oct 05, 2015
  • Author: Ewa Maria Szczypinska, MD; Chief Editor: Pranatharthi Haran Chandrasekar, MBBS, MD  more...
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Medication

Medication Summary

No specific treatments have been proven effective specifically for human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV)–1 or HTLV-2 infection.

Antiretroviral agents have demonstrated the ability to inhibit HTLV replication, but there has been limited research in asymptomatic carriers of HTLV-1, in whom the proviral load is already typically low. [48] In patients with HTLV-1–associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), who typically have high HTLV-1 viremia, 6-12 months of zidovudine plus lamivudine failed to show clinical benefit. [41]