Astonish yourself while worrying about another: Patients' reactions of HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis diagnosis.

HAM/TSP is an incurable and progressive disease with several physical complications. Its first diagnosis can also cause severe psychological damage to patients and profoundly affect the patient's social and family relationships. Therefore, it seems that education and health policies should integrate multidisciplinary teams to minimize the effects of HAM/TSP on the patients' quality of life.