# Prevalence and Epidemiological Characteristics of Anogenital Warts Among Recently Diagnosed HIV-Positive Women on Antiretroviral Therapy in Lagos, Nigeria

## TL;DR

This study found that 8.5% of recently diagnosed HIV-positive women in Lagos, Nigeria, had anogenital warts, with factors like low education and high viral load being linked to the condition.

## Contribution

The study provides new epidemiological data on anogenital warts in recently diagnosed HIV-positive women in Lagos, Nigeria.

## Key findings

- The prevalence of anogenital warts among recently diagnosed HIV-positive women was 8.5%.
- Significant associations were found between anogenital warts and low CD4 count, high viral load, and use of oral contraceptive pills.
- Most affected women were single, unemployed, and had no tertiary education.

## Abstract

Background

Anogenital warts (AGWs) are a prevalent condition resulting from human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which is the most frequently encountered sexually transmitted infection (STI) on a global scale. Women who are HIV-positive experience a disproportionately high burden of AGWs compared to other populations. It is imperative to comprehend the epidemiological factors linked to the disease within this particular at-risk population.

Objectives

The objective of the study was to ascertain the prevalence of AGWs and its demographic and socio-biological epidemiological features among recently diagnosed HIV-positive women (HPW) in Lagos, Nigeria.

Materials and methods

The research was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among a sample of 420 recently diagnosed HPW. The study was conducted at the HIV clinic of a tertiary health institution located in Lagos, Nigeria. The participants clinically diagnosed with AGWs were classified as the study group, while individuals without AGWs were classified as the comparison group. Interviewer-administered pretested questionnaires were utilized to gather pertinent demographic and socio-biological epidemiological data from the participants involved in the study. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0 (Released 2015; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA).

Results

The prevalence of AGWs among recently diagnosed HPW was found to be 8.5% (34/402). These warts were frequently observed on the vulvar labia (35.3%, 12/34), vaginal walls (14.7%, 5/34), and perianal region (14.7%, 5/34). It is worth noting that over a third of cases (35.3%, 12/34) involved multiple areas within the anogenital region. The diagnosis of AGWs was found to have significant associations with occupation (p=0.005), marital status (p<0.001), and educational status (p=0.028). The majority of HPW diagnosed with AGWs were unemployed (32.4%, 11/34), single (47.1%, 16/34), and did not have tertiary education (94.1%, 32/34). The utilization of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs), smoking, low CD4 count, and high viral load were the significant socio-biological factors associated with the diagnosis of AGWs (p<0.001, respectively).

Conclusion

The study found that the prevalence of AGW among HPW was 8.5% (34/402). Several epidemiological factors, including occupation, marital status, education, CD4 count, viral load, history of OCP use, and smoking, were found to be significantly associated with the diagnosis of AGW. There is a need to conduct more comprehensive studies to thoroughly assess the impact of these epidemiological factors.