HPV Vaccine May Benefit Women with HIV Infection

HPV Vaccine May Benefit Women with HIV Infection

Women infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may still reap benefits from the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, even if they have been previously exposed to HPV, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The research, conducted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research network, shows that while women with HIV may have been exposed to the low-risk strains of HPV, more than 45% have not been exposed to the most serious forms of HPV that are targeted by the vaccine.

Women with HIV infection who are exposed to the high-risk forms of HPV are more likely to develop the health problems commonly caused by these strains—such as precancerous conditions of the cervix and cervical cancer—than woman without HIV.

The study included blood and tissue analysis of 99 women between the ages of 16 and 23 with HIV infection who received an initial HPV vaccination. The samples were examined for existing HPV infection and previous exposure to the virus. After testing for the presence of 41 of the more than 100 types of HPV, including 13 high-risk strains, the researchers found that 75% of the women had at least one type of HPV infection, and 54% tested positive for a high-risk strain. After examining the presence of the two types of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancers—HPV-16 and HPV-18—the researchers found that almost half (45%) of the women showed no existing infection or exposure to either type.

“Health care providers may hesitate to recommend HPV vaccines after a girl starts having sex,” notes study author Jessica Kahn, MD, MPH, of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in a NIH press release. “However, our results show that for a significant number of young women, the HPV vaccine can still offer benefits.” This is especially important for women with HIV, the researchers assert, because this condition can make them even more vulnerable to HPV’s effects.

In an effort to fight HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that girls age 11 to 26 receive the vaccine.