“…Results of our study suggest that HTLV-1 infected patients, with an adverse prognosis and degrading course of disease, progressively evolve to dysfunctionality. [3] , [25] , [27] The absence of effective viral treatment, with only symptomatic therapy, 3 would result in increased stress and hopelessness compared to HCV patients. Future studies that specifically evaluate data such as hopelessness among HTLV-1 carriers, through specific instruments, will be necessary for further clarification of this subject.…”