Seroprevalence Assessment of HTLV-1 and Its Related Risk Factors in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in Gonabad in 2023

Background: HTLV-1 infection has been demonstrated to induce both cellular and humoral immune responses, suggesting a probable role in the development and pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Objectives: The objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of antibodies against HTLV-1 and its associated risk factors in patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis who were referred to Allameh Bohlool Gonabadi Hospital in 2023. Design: This study is of a cross-sectional analytical nature. The study population comprised 107 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. These patients were referred to the rheumatology clinic of Allameh Bohlool Gonabadi Hospital. The patients were selected for inclusion in the study on a random basis. Methods: The data collection instrument employed in this study was the demographic information checklist and the disease activity and severity questionnaire (Disease Activity Score 28 [DAS28]). A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of HTLV-1. Also, 2 mL of blood was collected from the research units, and then serum was isolated and stored at −20°C. The antibody levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Following the collection of the data, it was subjected to analysis using SPSS version 20 software, with the Fisher’s exact and independent samples T-tests employed at a significance level of less than 5%. Results: The mean age of the research units was 55.30 ± 12.45 years, and 82.2% of the subjects were female. The activity and severity of the disease were found to be average in 38.3% and 70.1% of the research units, respectively. A total of 2 positive HTLV-1 cases (1.9%) were identified among the study population. The investigation revealed that HTLV-1 infection demonstrated no substantial correlation with disease activity, disease severity, gender, education, history of smoking and alcohol consumption, age, and body mass index ( P > .05). Conclusion: The prevalence of HTLV-1 infection among patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis is not significant. Also, in this study, the impact of HTLV-1 infection on the activity and severity of rheumatoid arthritis was not found.