Does HTLV-1 Infection Lead to Increased Intima-Media Thickness (IMT)? “Evidences form Human Clinical Studies”

Dear Editor. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is on the list of top causes of human death, with 30% (nearly 7.6 million cases) of coronary heart disease (CHD) occurring annually [1]. Atherosclerosis is the most important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that results in damaging the intima of the arteries and the formation of fatty plaques on the walls of the arteries, and it accounts for one-fifth of deaths worldwide [2-3]. There are several factors involved in the atherosclerosis immunopathogenesis, among which the role of viral infection is quite prominent [4]. It was first observed in the late 1970s that the atherosclerotic lesions in chickens infected with the Marek’s disease virus (as a herpes virus) is very similar to the human atherosclerosis [5]. The researchers then indicated the role of cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in inducing atherosclerosis in humans. [4,6]. It has recently been suggested that HTLV-1 infection may also induce and exacerbate the process of atherosclerosis in humans [7].