Human T-cell leukemia virus type I infection in hemodialysis patients.

Human T-cell leukemia virus Type I (HTLV-I) has been detected in a high proportion of individuals in Kumamoto prefecture (Kyushu) and Okinawa, where adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is more likely to occur. The seroprevalence of antibody to HTLV-I was evaluated in hemodialysis patients and healthy individuals in the ATL endemic area. The prevalence of antibody to HTLV-I in 13,329 healthy controls was 3.6%, compared with 19.7% in 949 chronic hemodialysis patients. The prevalence of hemodialysis patients was significantly higher (P less than 0.01) than that in healthy individuals. Of 681 blood transfused patients who had undergone hemodialysis, 153 (22.5%) were seropositive, compared with 34 (12.7%) of the 268 who had not received the blood transfusion. The incidence was higher in dialysis patients who had been transfused than in those who had never received blood transfusions. Immune defects associated with uremia may have predisposed the patients to HTLV-I infection. Repeated antigenic stimulation from multiple infectious agents may have also played a role. The findings suggest an association between maintenance hemodialysis and HTLV-I infection, which can not be explained solely by blood or blood products.