Signs and symptoms of human T‐lymphotropic virus 1 and 2 infections in paediatric patients

Objective To determine the prevalence of signs and symptoms of HTLV‐1 and 2 infection in paediatric patients. Methods We included cohort, case‐control and descriptive observational studies that reported the prevalence of signs and symptoms of HTLV‐1 and 2 infections in paediatric patients. Searches were performed in MEDLINE® (Ovid), EMBASE and LILACS from inception to the present, and we saturated information with other sources of published and unpublished literature. We decided not to perform meta‐analysis according to heterogeneity. Results A total of eight studies met the inclusion criteria for qualitative analysis. No studies of HTLV‐2 were found. Females predominated and there was vertical transmission in nearly 100% of cases. Infective dermatitis was a common manifestation of HTLV in paediatric patients. In addition, persistent hyperreflexia, clonus and the Babinski sign were early neurological alterations observed in patients carrying the virus. Conclusion HTLV screening is recommended in patients presenting infective dermatitis, persistent hyperreflexia, walking disturbances and in those who come from endemic zones.