Impact of chronic illness in women with Human T-Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV)

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: to analyze how the changes caused by HTLV impact the daily lives of women and the ways of coping with the presence of the virus mentioned above. METHOD: qualitative descriptive research carried out using secondary data extracted from the database of the research project entitled “Experience of sexuality: representations of people seropositive for HTLV.” Data collection was carried out with 12 HTLV positive women seen at the infectology clinic of a University Hospital in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, and at the Testing and Counseling Center (CTA) in the city of Santo Antonio de Jesus, Bahia, Brazil, using the Collective Subject Discourse as a methodological strategy. RESULTS: The testimonies and speeches of HTLV seropositive women reveal the stigma experienced by them, the withdrawal of friends and family after the diagnosis of HTLV, and the negative impact of these for women. With regard to ways of coping with circumventing the stigma, women hide details related to HTLV infection or even completely cover up their serological condition, even for their family members. CONCLUSION: Thus, it is clear that HTLV impacts women's daily lives living with the virus. Thus, the health care provided should not be based only on physical well-being but also on their biopsychosocial well-being, thus contributing to coping with the stigma in the daily lives of HIV-positive women