title: CD4+ cell count and HIV load as predictors of size of anal warts over time in HIV-infected women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the associations between CD4(+) cell counts, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) load, and human papillomavirus "low-risk" types in noncancerous clinical outcomes. This study examined whether CD4(+) count and HIV load predict the size of the largest anal warts in 976 HIV-infected women in an ongoing cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  A linear mixed model was used to determine the association between size of anal wart and CD4(+) count and HIV load.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of anal warts was 4.15 cases per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.83-4.77) and 1.30 cases per 100 person-years (95% CI, 1.00-1.58) in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women, respectively. There appeared to be an inverse association between size of the largest anal warts and CD4(+) count at baseline; however, this was not statistically significant. There was no association between size of the largest anal warts and CD4(+) count or HIV load over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no evidence for an association between size of the largest anal warts and CD4(+) count or HIV load over time. Further exploration on the role of immune response on the development of anal warts is warranted in a larger study.
authors.affiliation: Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Hung N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Luu
authors.forename: E Susan
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Amirian
authors.forename: Wenyaw
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: R Palmer
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Beasley
authors.forename: Linda B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Piller
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Scheurer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000473:pathology*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D019562:Viral Load; D014860:Warts / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*