title: Squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs) and HPV associated changes in HIV infected women or at risk of HIV. DIANAIDS Cooperative Study Group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study concerns the prevalence of squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs) and the specific cervical cytopathological features of a group of HIV-positive and a group of HIV-negative women recruited in a multicentric cohort study. The assessment of HPV-DNA genotypes was carried out in both groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  459 women, 266 HIV-positive and 193 HIV-negative women at risk were examined in an Italian multi-institutional study involving 14 gynaecological centres.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our samples, the risk of SILs was 29.4% for HIV-positive women and 10% for HIV-negative women (O.R. = 3.90, C.I. 95%: 2.20-6.98) while HPV-DNA-PCR genotypes had a high prevalence in both groups of HIV-positive and HIV-negative women. Cytopathological features of SILs in HIV-positive women were: a higher number of koilocytes and a more marked atypia of high grade neoplastic cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A higher prevalence of SILs as well as a specific cervical cytopathology might suggest HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: Cytopathology Unit, National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Branca
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Migliore
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giuliani MLeoncini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ippolito
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cappiello
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Garbuglia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schiesari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rezza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D014626:Vaginal Smears