Human papillomavirus-associated oral warts among human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive patients in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy: an emerging infection.

ABSTRACT

Oral warts are a manifestation of human papillomavirus infection that have been noted infrequently in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A nested case-control study was conducted to assess rates of and risk factors for oral warts among a cohort of HIV-seropositive patients. From 1997 through 1999, 56 patients with oral warts were identified among 2194 HIV-positive patients attending an urban oral health center (prevalence, 2.6%). Incident cases of oral warts were significantly more likely to have been diagnosed in 1999 than they were in 1997-1998 (P=.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that the risk of oral warts was associated with a >/=1-log(10) decrease in HIV RNA level in the 6 months before diagnosis of oral warts (odds ratio [OR], 2.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-5.11) and with serologic evidence of chronic or previous infection with hepatitis B virus (OR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.31-5.41). The incidence of oral warts in HIV-seropositive patients appears to be increasing in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Oral warts were associated with reductions in virus load, which suggests that this may in part be related to immune reconstitution.