SQUAMOUS INTRAEPITHELIAL LESIONS IN CERVICAL SMEARS OF HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-SEROPOSITIVE ADOLESCENTS

Various authors have reported a high rate of human papillomavirus (HPV ) infection and HPV-related neoplasias in human immunodeficiency virus (HN)-seropositive women. On the other hand young women are most susce ptible to cervical infection because of immaturity of the the cervix, as it appears that HPV has more access to the basal cells of the diffe rentiating epithelium. The purpose of the present work was to study ce rvical smears of 82 adolescent HIV-seropositive women (13-21 years of age) to search Sor cytological evidence of cervical intraepithelial ne oplasias. Twenty-one cases showed characteristic features of HPV infec tion and squamous intraepithelial lesions (Sa; 25.6%). Sixteen cases a ged from 17 to 21 years (mean age 19.5 years) had low-grade SIL (LSIL; 19.5%) and five cases aged from 18 to 21 years (mean age 20.2 years) had high-grade SIL (HSIL; 6.1%). There was no significant difference b etween the mean age of patients with LSIL and HSIL. Two cases had atyp ical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), In the prese nt work it was found that HIV-seropositive adolescents have a high ris k Soi preneoplastic lesions of the cervix (25.6%) as well as a high in cidence of more aggressive lesions (6.1% of HSIL) when compared to the general population of adolescents. adolescents. As it can be assumed that, if the age of acquisition of the the infection in both groups (i n the general population and HN-seropositive women) is the same, it is probable that HIV infection in adolescents not only increases the fre quency of HPV infections but also facilities the evolution to more agg ressive preneoplastic lesions of the cervix due to HPV Diagn. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.