Last Updated on June 4, 2020 by Saurabh Sethi, MD, MPH
HTLV STD Brief
Today’s post and posts to follow will consist of The STI Project’s STI/STD Briefs. These briefs are intended to give readers (specifically those readers who weren’t aware many of these STDs existed) an overview of each STD, their commonality, treatment options, and diagnostic tests available.
This information is by no means all-encompassing and The STI Project encourages using these briefs as primers and then further delving into the resources section when subsequent questions arise.
HTLV Symptoms, Test & Treatment
Common? Uncommon but can be more common depending on geographic location or members of high-risk groups, like intraveneous drug users and immigrants. Approximately 10-20 million people infected globally (less than 1% of the total population)
Symptoms Most people who are infected will never experience signs or symptoms.
Cure? None
Bacterial/Viral/Fungal/Parasitic Viral
Test Blood test
Life-Long? Yes, but most people don’t know they have it – they will be lifelong carriers, but their bodies will develop antibodies to fight the infection
Life-Threatening? A small minority can develop Adult T-cell Leukaemia/Lymphoma (ATLL), a rare form of cancer of the blood
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Did this brief synopsis help clarify your questions about HTLV? Is there a category you’d like to see or something you think should be added to the quick overviews? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
