Keywords: HTLV-1; Home exercises; Quality of life; Chronic pain; Randomized clinical trial

The most common symptoms are lower limb muscle weakness, hyperreflexia, hypertonia, pelvic floor dysfunction and moderate-to-severe pain^5,6. These symptoms cause postural⁷, locomotive⁸ and balance⁹ changes, all of which affect mobility and cause frequent falls. The impact on functional mobility occurs between two and five years after the initial symptom onset, and one in every five symptomatic individuals progresses to the wheelchair in a 10-year period⁸. This picture evolves to physical dependence, reduction of social participation and productive incapacity, all of which cause significant suffering and high costs³.

HTLV-1 creates a chronic health condition that involves moderate to severe pain with a negative impact on quality of life (QoL). There is no consensus on which attitudes to pain are more related to the worsening of QoL in HTLV-1 infected patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between QoL and multidimensional aspects of pain in patients with HTLV-1. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The study included individuals diagnosed with HTLV-1. The Short Form 36 Questionnaire was used to analyze QoL, and the Brief Pain Inventory was used to assess multidimensional aspects of pain. The mean pain intensity was 4.88±3.06 on the visual pain scale, and the average impact on QoL corresponded to a loss of approximately 40%. Moderate to high correlations between pain intensity and all domains of QoL were observed and compared reaction attitudes for general activity, mood, ability to walk, ability to work, relationships, sleep, and ability to enjoy life (r>0.40; p<0.05). Moderate correlations were found between all domains of QoL, pain intensity, and reactive attitudes to pain. The greatest pain intensity impacts involved difficulty to walk and to work, and interpersonal relationships in the emotional aspect of QoL.

INTRODUCTION: As increase life expectancy, the searches for conducts to improve functional independence in chronically altered conditions as is common in the neurological dysfunction. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of therapeutic home based exercise programs (HBE) on impairment of walking activity due to stroke, Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis and HTLV-1 associated myelopathy or tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). METHODS: data sources PubMed, Scielo, Pedro, Cochrane Library; available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, German or French languages; no time restrictions; selection made by two independent researchers, in three stages; included Clinical Trials with interventions of HBE Programs for adults with gait or balance disabilities arising from the above neurological conditions; gait speed or distance, strength, balance, mobility, functionality and functional independence were the variables; methodological quality with PEDro scale; PICOS strategy guided the extraction date. Weighted mean differences (WMD), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and the heterogeneity assessed by the I2 test with RevMan 5.3 program. Results in balance (WMD 2.8; CI 1.5; 4.1) and in cardiorespiratory capacity (WMD 29.3m; IC 8.3; 50.2) for people with stroke are effectiveness. For people with Multiple Scleroses there is improvement in physiological profile (WMD -1.3; CI -0.5; 2.0) and mobility (WMD -3.3; CI -5.1; -1,4). CONCLUSIONS: The HBE is effective on walking activity, improve performance and functional mobility in neurological impairments. Is suggested HBE on public health to includ elements for management of disabilities on the programs and the use of functional scales such as WHODAS to compare the same disability in different neurological disorders.