ASYMPTOMATIC PRIMARY BILIARY-CIRRHOSIS IN HTLV-I-ASSOCIATED MYELOPATHY

A 54-yr-old woman was admitted for complaints of slowly progressive ga it and bladder disturbance, and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM/TSP) was diagnosed by positive antibodies to HTLV-I, both in her serum and cerebrospinal fluid. In the course of a diagnostic evaluation, she wa s found to have asymptomatic primary biliary cirrhosis. In immunohisto chemistry, a fair number of her hepatocyte nuclei stained strongly pos itive for HTLV-I core protein, suggesting that HTLV-I may infect hepat ocytes. The present case demonstrates that the spectrum of HTLV-I infe ction may be broad, and suggests the relationship between HTLV-I-assoc iated myelopathy and primary biliary cirrhosis by autoimmune process.