Markers of Health Status in an HTLV-I-Positive Cohort

The health effects of chronic human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) infection were examined in a cohort of Japanese men who had emigrated from Okinawa, Japan, and had been participants in a prospective study in Hawaii since 1965. In the present follow-up study carried out in 1987-1988, various health indicators were measured in the subjects, whose mean age was 72.5 years. Participation rates were lower in the HTLV-I seropositives than in the seronegatives (46.7% vs. 76.0%) in the ≥75-year age group. Lack of participation was significantly correlated with a high HTLV-I antibody titer