Depression In HTLV-1 Infected Individuals: Initial Reports From The GIPH Cohort In Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Background: There are several reports of association of viruses and depression, including acute episodes after viral infections. During clinical evaluation in our ongoing cohort of HTLV-1 infected individuals, we observed the presence of depression in many seropositive subjects. Methods: To evaluate a possible association, we have conducted a transversal, blinded study to estimate the prevalence of major depression in this group, comparing with negative controls. Psychiatric evaluation was performed in 71 individuals (55 HTLV-1 positive and 16 seronegative) and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was applied to all, by the same psychiatrist. Results: Of the patients evaluated, 44 (62%) were females and 27 (38%) males. The prevalence of major depression in the HTLV-1 positive individuals (DSM-IV defined) was 45.5% (25/55) and 18.8% (3/16) in the negative group (p = 0,0543). Among all depressed there were 23 (82,1%) women and five (17.9%) men. Conclusions: The prevalence of depression observed in the seropositive subjects was three times higher than that reported for the general population (15.0%) which is similar to the one found in uninfected controls (18.8%). The higher prevalence in females is in accordance with that reported in the literature. These preliminary results suggest that this association should be considered, with further studies of greater numbers of individuals.