Table 3.

HTLV-1 seropositivity rates stratified by age and gender according to reason for testing

	Age categories (years) HTLV-1+/n (%)
	0–14	15–29	30–49	50–64	65+
Female
Group 1 (n = 760)	0/36 (0.0)	32/150 (21.3)	125/341 (36.7)	63/157 (40.1)	30/76 (39.5)
Group 2 (n = 173)	0	1/7 (14.3)	22/64 (34.4)	23/79 (29.1)	6/23 (26.1)
Group 3 (n = 64)	0	0/7 (0.0)	13/26 (50.0)	11/22 (50.0)	1/9 (11.1)
Male
Group 1 (n = 671)	1/37 (2.7)	16/114 (14.0)	132/341 (38.7)	48/117 (41.0)	29/62 (46.8)
Group 2 (n = 161)	0	2/9 (22.2)	20/77 (26.0)	39/64 (60.9)	4/11 (36.4)
Group 3 (n = 60)	0/1 (0.0)	1/10 (10.0)	6/28 (21.4)	9/17 (52.9)	1/4 (25.0)

HTLV-1 seropositivity rates for the various age categories for male and female Indigenous patients according to reason for testing. Subjects were tested: a) to investigate the cause of conditions that are thought to be associated with HTLV-1 infection (Group 1, n = 1431), b) as part of a blood borne virus (BBV) surveillance program among patients receiving haemodialysis (Group 2, n = 334) and c) after enrollment as subjects without current clinical evidence of HTLV-1 associated conditions in HTLV-1 pathogenesis studies (Group 3, n = 124). Seropositivity rates increase with age for both males and females irrespective of the reason for testing and in each group rates among men aged greater than 65 years exceed those for women of comparable age