HTLV, NEGLECTED DISEASE, WHY?

Abstract

HTLV is a progressive virus that can cause various dysfunctions if its incubation period is not interrupted by treatment. The aim of this study was to inform people about the importance of spreading the word about the virus. This is a bibliographical study, in which scientific articles were researched on the Scielo and Google Scholar platforms, from 2013 to 2023. The problems caused by HTLV can be irreversible. The symptoms of the disease are not specific and therefore do not show the action of the agent, making diagnosis difficult. It's a virus that the human body has difficulty fighting because it destroys protective defense cells, which can wreak havoc and leave the body vulnerable to other pathological agents. Although it doesn't prefer people, HTLV affects a large part of the world's population, with Brazil having the highest number of cases of any country in the world. The HTLV-I type, which belongs to the HIV family and is well known to everyone, affects more people than HIV itself and other well-known diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis C. As it is a disease that makes human beings vulnerable to various diseases, many of which science has not yet fully elucidated, it is vital that health professionals in general have knowledge so that they can pass on correct information to their patients and have more effective and accurate diagnoses. All this helps to ensure that no disease spreads to the point of killing thousands and leaving dozens of people sequestered and sick all over the world.