The human T-cells lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) infects approximately 20 million people worldwide. It is mainly associated with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and a neurological disease HLTV associated myelopathy/ tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). The HAM/TSP causes motor abnormalities, weakness, increased tone in the lower limbs, urinary and erectile dysfunction. Studies show that there is a tendency of patients with HTLV-I to have some urinary symptoms. These symptoms persist not only in individuals with HAM/TSP, but also in individuals considered as asymptomatic carriers. This highlights the importance of studies that address the multitude of urinary symptoms in individuals with HTLV-I in order to deepen the scientific knowledge of the clinical progression of HTLV-I infected individuals, facilitate diagnosis, allow for earlier interventions and improve the quality of life and health of patients with HTLV-I. This research was aimed to determine the prevalence of urinary symptoms among individuals with HTLV-I with the specific objectives to describe the socio-demographic characteristics; identify the most frequent urinary symptoms reported; verify the association of the presence of urinary symptoms to neurological findings and analyze the impact on quality of life of urinary symptoms in individuals with HTLV-I. The study involved cross-sectional analysis involving 45 individuals with HTLV-I through the outpatient clinic at the NMT/UFPA. Through clinical neurological evaluation, the presence of urinary symptoms and impact assessment of urinary symptoms on quality of life by carriers HTLV-I was assessed applying the King's Health Questionnaire. The sample have had an average of 48.82 years of age, most were asymptomatic (64,44%), female (64,44%), married (64,44%), with primary education (53,33%) and without knowledge of its mode of infection (53,33%). The prevalence of urinary symptoms was 73,33% being 69% among patients with asymptomatic HTVL-I and 81,3% among individuals with HAM/TSP. The most common urinary symptoms were nocturia (71.11%), urinary urgency with incontinence (44.44%) and urinary urgency (42.22%). There was no association between neurological findings and the presence of urinary symptoms and the assessment of quality of life showed negative impact on seven of the nine areas covered by the questionnaire. High prevalence of urinary symptoms was found in individuals with HTLV-I, not only in individuals with HAM/TSP, but also in patients considered asymptomatic carriers. It is suggested that further studies with larger sample sizes and more accurate diagnostic tests to clarify development of these symptoms among asymptomatic carriers and its relationship with the worsening of myelopathy.
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