Definition

Tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) is a slowly progressive spastic paraparesis caused by the human T-cell lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1), with an insidious onset in adulthood. It has been found all around the world (except in the poles), mainly in tropical and subtropical regions.

Description

For several decades the term tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) was used to describe a chronic and progressive clinical syndrome that affected adults living in equatorial areas of the world. Neurological and modern epidemiological studies found that in some individuals no one cause could explain the progressive weakness, sensory disturbance, and sphincter dysfunction that affected individuals with TSP. During the mid-1980s, an important association was established between the first human HTLV-1 virus and idiopathic TSP. Since then, this condition has been named HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic...