The New England Journal of Medicine
e-mail icon  FREE NEJM E-TOC    HOME   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   CURRENT ISSUE   |   PAST ISSUES   |   COLLECTIONS   |    Advanced Search
Sign in | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents — Free | Subscribe
 
Original Article
PreviousPrevious
Volume 337:1343-1349 November 6, 1997 Number 19
NextNext

Human Papillomavirus Infection in Women Infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Xiao-Wei Sun, M.D., Louise Kuhn, Ph.D., Tedd V. Ellerbrock, M.D., Mary Ann Chiasson, Dr.P.H., Timothy J. Bush, B.A., and Thomas C. Wright, M.D.

 Sign up for free e-toc
 

This Article
-Full Text
- PDF

Commentary
-Letters

Tools and Services
-Add to Personal Archive
-Add to Citation Manager
-Notify a Friend
-E-mail When Cited

More Information
-PubMed Citation
ABSTRACT

Background Among women infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there is a high prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. However, little is known about the natural history of HPV infections in HIV-seropositive women, and persistent HPV infections may explain the increased risk of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions and invasive cervical cancer in HIV-seropositive women.

Methods A total of 220 HIV-seropositive and 231 HIV-seronegative women in the New York City area were evaluated at two or more semiannual gynecologic examinations that included a Pap test, a test for HPV DNA, and colposcopy.

Results HPV DNA was detected at the initial examination in 56 percent of the HIV-seropositive and 31 percent of the HIV-seronegative women. After four examinations, the cumulative prevalence of HPV infection was 83 percent in the seropositive women and 62 percent in the seronegative women (P<0.001). Persistent HPV infections were found in 24 percent of the seropositive women but in only 4 percent of the seronegative women (P<0.001). Twenty percent of the seropositive women and 3 percent of the seronegative women had persistent infections with HPV-16–associated viral types (16, 31, 33, 35, or 58) or HPV-18–associated types (18 or 45) (P<0.001), which are most strongly associated with cervical cancer. The detection of HPV DNA in women with previously negative tests was not associated with sexual activity during the interval since the preceding examination.

Conclusions HIV-seropositive women have a high rate of persistent HPV infections with the types of HPV that are strongly associated with the development of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and invasive cervical cancer. These persistent infections may explain the increased incidence of squamous intraepithelial lesions in HIV-seropositive women.


Source Information

From the Department of Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons (X.-W.S., T.C.W.), and the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center and Division of Epidemiology (L.K.), Columbia University, New York; the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta (T.V.E., T.J.B.); and the Bureau of Disease Intervention Research, New York City Department of Health, New York (M.A.C.).

Address reprint requests to Dr. Wright at the Department of Pathology, Room 16-402, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 W. 168th St., New York, NY 10032.

Full Text of this Article


Related Letters:

Human Papillomaviruses and Anogenital Cancer
Vernon S. D., Unger E. R., Reeves W. C., Frisch M., Adami H.-O., Melbye M., Ellerbrock T. V., Kuhn L., Wright T. C.
Extract | Full Text  
N Engl J Med 1998; 338:921-922, Mar 26, 1998. Correspondence

This article has been cited by other articles:



HOME  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  SEARCH  |  CURRENT ISSUE  |  PAST ISSUES  |  COLLECTIONS  |  PRIVACY  |  TERMS OF USE  |  HELP  |  beta.nejm.org

Comments and questions? Please contact us.

The New England Journal of Medicine is owned, published, and copyrighted © 2009 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.