Human T-lymphotropic viruses (HTLV) in England and Wales, 2004-2013: Testing and diagnoses
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Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) infection has been under enhanced surveillance in England and Wales since 2002, however, little is known about testing patterns. Using data from two surveillance systems held at Public Health England, we described HTLV antibody testing patterns between 2008 and 2013 and the demographic and clinical characteristics of persons diagnosed with HTLV in England and Wales between 2004 and 2013. An increase in HTLV testing was observed in England between 2008 and 2013 (3,581 to 7,130). Most tests (82%; 7,597/9,302) occurred within secondary care, 0.5% (48/9,302) of persons were reactive for HTLV antibodies and 0.3% (27/9,302) were confirmed positive. Increasing age and female sex were predictors of a reactive HTLV screen and confirmed diagnosis. Testing in primary care including sexual health and antenatal services was infrequent. Between 2004 and 2013, 858 people were diagnosed with HTLV, most of whom were female (65%; 549/851), of black Caribbean ethnicity (60%), not born in the United Kingdom (72%; 369/514) and asymptomatic at diagnosis (45%; 267/595). Despite increased testing, the epidemiology and clinical features of those diagnosed with HTLV have remained consistent. Apart from donor screening, testing for HTLV infection remains uncommon, except to diagnose associated disease.
Date Issued
2017-05-25
Date Acceptance
2017-02-02
Citation
Eurosurveillance, 2017, 25 (21)
ISSN
1560-7917
Publisher
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Journal / Book Title
Eurosurveillance
Volume
25
Issue
21
Copyright Statement
This article is copyright of the authors, 2017. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) Licence. You may share and adapt the material, but must give appropriate credit to the source, provide a link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made.
the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) Licence. You may share and adapt the material, but must give appropriate credit to the source, provide a link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made.
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
30539