Prevalence of Hiv Seroreactivity in Anogenital Wart Patients at ALERT, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Prospective Study
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Date
2024-12-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: Anogenital warts (AGWs) are visible warts seen in the body's perigenital and perianal regions(1). They are benign lesions caused by HPV types 6 or 11 which are low risk (LR) types, with the remaining 10% caused by a co-infection with high risk (HR) types(1–3). In addition to epidemiological evidence, biological findings confirm the mechanisms for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increasing Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) acquisition and transmission via direct mucosal disruption, recruitment of HIV target cells to the genital tract, and increased HIV load in plasma and genital secretions(8). Immunosuppression, on the other hand, is a key risk factor for chronic human papilloma virus (HPV) infections and, as a result, the development of HPV-induced lesions. The frequency and prevalence of benign and malignant HPV-induced anogenital lesions are much higher in HIV-infected patients(9). Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess the rate of HIV positivity among Anogenital Wart patients who visit the Dermatology unit of All African Leprosy Rehabilitation Training Center (ALERT) Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, between March and August 2024. Methods: A facility-based, prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with Anogenital warts attending the dermatology clinic of ALERT Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from March to August, 2024. Data was gathered from patients using a structured questionnaire. Version 26 of the Statistical Package for Social Science was used to analyse the data. Descriptive results were displayed using tables, charts, percentages, and frequency distributions. The relationship between the dependent and independent variables was examined using the chi square test, and the strength of the relationships was measured using binary logistic regression. Result: A total of 58 patients were included in the study (75.9% females and 24.1% males). The median age was 29.5. The rate of HIV positivity was determined to be 39.7%. AGWs were most commonly located over the genitalia. The median duration of anogenital warts was 6.5 months with interquartile range of 21 months. The median size of warts was 1.5cms with interquartile range of 2.4cms.The median for the number of warts was 6 with interquartile range of 9 and most study participants (65.5%) had at least 5 warts. 12 | P a g e Site of warts and wart size were significantly associated with HIV positivity. Individuals with both anal and genital warts had a higher chance of being HIV positive than those with only genital warts (AOR = 5.424,95% CI = 1.198,24.547, p value = 0.028). Those with wart diameters greater than 2 cm had an 8.6-fold higher chance of being HIV positive than those with wart sizes less than 1 cm (AOR = 8.569, 95% CI = 1.863, 39.410, p value = 0.006).
Conclusion: The prevalence of HIV in AGW patients, as seen in our study, is quite common. The study has demonstrated the connection between HIV serostatus and demographic features and the clinical presentation of AGW
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Prevalence of HIV Seroreactivity