title: Cervical-vaginal disease in HIV immunosuppressed patients: management and present screening programme.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (L-SIL and H-SIL) in HIV-positive patients using cytological, colposcopic and histological examinations. The correlations between these cervical lesions, the role of HPV and the clinical and immunological aspects of HIV infection and inflammatory cervical-vaginal disease were studied. We believe that HPV infection and preneoplastic and/or neoplastic lesions occur more often in immunodepressed HIV-positive patients, and that on the grounds of the high risk of precancerous lesions in this population and the low sensibility of the Pap test, it is advisable to perform a colposcopic examination to discover early lesions that must undergo a specific biopsy.
authors.affiliation: Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of Surgery Science, University of L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Di Stefano
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Colageo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cellini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coletti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003127:Colposcopy; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis