Human immunodeficiency virus is a driven factor of human papilloma virus among women: evidence from a cross-sectional analysis in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of cervical cancers, causing 270.000 deaths annually worldwide of which 85% occur in developing countries with an increasing risk associated to HIV infection. This study aimed at comparing HPV's positivity and genotype distribution in women according to their HIV status and determinants. METHODS: A comparative study was carried out in 2012 at the Chantal BIYA International Reference Centre (CIRCB) among 278 women enrolled consecutively at the General Hospital and the Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital of the City of Yaounde. HPV genotyping was performed by real-time PCR, HIV serological screening by serial algorithm, CD4 T cell phenotyping by flow cytometry and HIV viral load by Abbott m2000RT. Statistical analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel 2016 and Graph Pad version 6.0 software; with P   1000 RNA copies/ml (OR = 0.384; p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: In Yaounde, HPV rate appear to be very high, with higher rates of genotypes other than 16 and 18. In the event of HIV infection, the risk of HPV positivity is two times higher, favoured essentially by immunodeficiency. Thus, HIV-infected women should be closely monitored to prevent the emergence of cervical cancer.