The impact of glucocorticoids and anti-cd20 therapy on cervical human papillomavirus infection risk in women with systemic lupus erythematosus

RESULTS: A total of 148 patients were included, with a mean age and disease duration of 42.5i11.8 years and 9.7i5.3 years, respectively. The prevalence of squamous intraepithelial lesions was 6.8%. The prevalence of human papillomavirus infection was 29%, with human papillomavirus subtype 59 being the most frequent. Patients with human papillomavirus were younger than those without the infection (38.2i11.2 vs. 44.2i11.5 years, respectively; p=0.05), and patients with the virus had higher daily prednisone doses (12.8i6.8 vs. 9.7i6.7 mg, respectively; p=0.01) and cumulative glucocorticoid doses (14.2i9.8 vs. 9.7i7.3 g, respectively; p=0.005) compared with patients without. Patients with human papillomavirus infection more frequently received rituximab than those without (20.9% vs. 8.5%, respectively; p=0.03). In the multivariate analysis, only the cumulative glucocorticoid dose was associated with human papillomavirus infection. CONCLUSIONS: The cumulative glucocorticoid dose may increase the risk of human papillomavirus infection. Although rituximab administration was more frequent in patients with human papillomavirus infection, no association was found. Screening for human papillomavirus infection is recommended in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.