ABSTRACT
We conducted a cross-sectional study in Vitória, Brazil, to assess the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in HIV-positive and HIV-negative women attending a sexually transmitted infection (STI)/AIDS clinic. We also investigated the presence of HPV genotypes and assessed covariates for HIV infection. Enrolled patients received a gynecological evaluation, and cervical scrape samples were collected for cytological analysis and HPV-DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A blood sample was obtained to determine HIV status. HPV infection and squamous intraepithelial lesions were studied in 284 women, 112 (39.4%) HIV-positive women and 172 (60.5%) HIV-negative women. HPV-DNA was detected in 133 (46.8%). HIV-infected women were almost twice as likely to be concurrently infected with HPV than HIV-negative women (OR = 1.87 95% CI: 1.16-3.03). The high proportion of HPV detected among women attending an STI/AIDS clinic, particularly among HIV-infected women, proves the importance of screening this high-risk group in the hope of earlier detection and treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).
