Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients have a greater prevalence of
coinfection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is of high oncogenic risk. Indeed, the
presence of the virus favours intraepithelial squamous cell lesion progression and
may induce cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HPV
infection, distribution of HPV types and risk factors among HIV-positive patients.
Cervical samples from 450 HIV-positive patients were analysed with regard to oncotic
cytology, colposcopy and HPV presence and type by means of polymerase chain reaction
and sequencing. The results were analysed by comparing demographic data and data
relating to HPV and HIV infection. The prevalence of HPV was 47.5%. Among the
HPV-positive samples, 59% included viral types of high oncogenic risk. Multivariate
analysis showed an association between HPV infection and the presence of cytological
alterations (p = 0.003), age greater than or equal to 35 years (p = 0.002), number of
partners greater than three (p = 0.002), CD4+ lymphocyte count <
200/mm3 (p = 0.041) and alcohol abuse (p = 0.004). Although high-risk
HPV was present in the majority of the lesions studied, the low frequency of HPV 16
(3.3%), low occurrence of cervical lesions and preserved immunological state in most
of the HIV-positive patients were factors that may explain the low occurrence of
precancerous cervical lesions in this population.