Frequency of seropositivity ofsyphillis and HIV in patients with anogenital warts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66344/jpad.v36i3.3527Keywords:
Syphilis, Human Papillomavirus, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Anogenital wartsAbstract
Background Anogenital warts (condylomata acuminata) are benign, sexually transmitted proliferative lesions of the anogenital skin and mucosa caused predominantly by low-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types, particularly HPV 6 and 11. Aim of present study is to determine the frequency of seropositivity of syphilis and HIV in patients with anogenital warts.
Objective To determine the frequency of seropositivity of syphilis and HIV in patients with anogenital warts.
Methods One sixty patients were enrolled in the study. Clinical examination of anogenital area in the presence of suitable chaperone where required, were carried out in all patients. Laboratory test like TPHA for syphilis and HIV by ELISA were done in every patient from a single reference laboratory to avoid variability was test results. All patients were managed as per standard protocols. All the data was processed by SPSS v26.0. Frequency and percentages were used for categorical parameters. Chi square test was applied in which P-valve <.05 was considered significant.
Results Gender distribution of the patients showed that 79.4% (n=127) were male whereas 20.6 %( n=33) were females. The distribution of sexual preferences was as follows: 18.8% (n=30) of participants were homosexual, 66.9% (n=107) were heterosexual, and 14.4% (n=23) were bisexual. The frequency of HIV seropositivity was 8.1% (n=13), while the frequency of syphilis seropositivity was 3.1% (n=5).
Conclusion The study demonstrated the presence of both HIV and syphilis seropositivity among patients with anogenital warts, highlighting the importance of appropriate screening for sexually transmitted infections in this population. The findings should be interpreted in the context of the characteristics of the study population and the local epidemiological setting.
References
1. Mueller SM, Menzi S, Kind AB, Blaich A, Bayer M, Navarini A, İtin P, Brandt O. Sexually transmitted coinfections in patients with anogenital warts- a retrospective analysis of 196 patients. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2020;18:325-32.
2. Pandit A, Tangbetani LL, Dangol NMS, Ranjit S. Clinicoepidemiological Profile and Sexual Behavior Pattern of Patients with Anogenital Warts. NJDVL 2023;21(2): 6-10.
https://doi.org/10.3126/njdvl.v21i2.52860
3. You X, Valente S, Machalek DA, Felsher M, Pieniazek I, Nowicka K, et. al. Epidemiologic, clinical, and economic burden of anogenital warts among adults: A global systematic review. Int J Infect Dis. 2025;161:108029.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2025.108029.
4. Meuwly M, Auderset D, Stadelmann S, Suris JC, Barrense-Dias Y. Anal Intercourse among Heterosexual Young Adults: A Population-Based Survey in Switzerland. J Sex Res. 2021;58:1061-8.
5. Waters L, Dewsnap C. Young women and anal sex: healthcare professionals must normalise questions about what is normal for many people. BMJ. 2022;30:2323.
6. Westmoreland DA, Gorbach P, Holloway IW, Arah OA, Javanbakht M. Individual and Partnership Factors Associated with Heterosexual Anal Intercourse Among Attendees of Public Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinics in Los Angeles County. Arch Sex Behav. 2021;50:347-58.
7. Devon J. Hensel, Christiana D. von Hippel, Charles C. Lapage, Robert H. Perkins Women’s techniques for pleasure from anal touch: Results from a U.S. probability sample of women ages 18-93. PLoS ONE. 2022; 17: e0268785.
8. Lau A, Kong FYS, Huston W, Chow EPF, Fairley CK, Hocking JS. Factors associated with anorectal Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae test positivity in women: A systematic review and metaanalysis. Sex Transm Infect. 2019;95:361-7.
9. Skaletz-Rorowski A, Potthoff A, Nambiar S, Wach J, Kayser A, Kasper A, et al. Sexual behaviour, STI knowledge and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) prevalence in an asymptomatic cohort in Ruhr-area, Germany: PreYoungGo study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2021;35:241-6..
10. Marra E, Lin C, Clifford GM. Type-specific anal human papillomavirus prevalence among men, according to sexual preference and HIV status: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. J Inf Dis. 2019;219:590-8.
11. Stannah J, Silhol R, Elmes J, Owen B, Shacklett BL, Anton P, et al. Increases in HIV incidence following receptive anal intercourse among women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. AIDS Behav. 2020;24:667-81.
12. Herzum A, Ciccarese G, Drago F, Pastorino A, Dezzana M, Mavilia MG, et al. Cervical, oral and anal Human papillomavirus infection in women attending the Dermatology Unit of a regional reference hospital in Genoa, Italy: a prevalence study. J Prev Med Hyg. 2022;63:E415.
13. Silhol R, Nordsletten A, Maheu-Giroux M, Elmes J, Staunton R, Owen B, et al. The association between heterosexual anal intercourse and HIV acquisition in three prospective cohorts of women. AIDS and Behav. 2023;1:1-2.
14. Rob F, Jůzlová K, Kružicová Z, Vaňousová D, Lásiková Š, Sýkorová B, et al. Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae co-infections among patients with newly diagnosed syphilis: a single-centre, crosssectional study. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2019;27:285-91.
15. Payagala S, Pozniak A. The global burden of HIV. Clin Dermatol. 2024;42:119-27.
16. Tota, J. E., Giuliano, A. R., Goldstone, S. E., Dubin, B., Saah, A., Luxembourg, A., et.al,. Anogenital Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection, Seroprevalence, and Risk Factors for HPV Seropositivity Among Sexually Active Men Enrolled in a Global HPV Vaccine Trial. Clin Infec Dis.2022;74(7):1247-56.
17. Tamer E, Erbil H, Ünal İ, Alper S. Demographic characteristics and risk factors in Turkish patients with anogenital warts. J Infect Public Health. 2016;9(5):661-6. doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2015.12.009.
18. Tyros G, Mastraftsi S, Gregoriou S, Nicolaidou E. Incidence of anogenital warts: epidemiological risk factors and real-life impact of human papillomavirus vaccination. International Journal of STD & AIDS. 2021;32(1):4-13. doi:10.1177/0956462420958577
19. Göçer Gürok N. Analysis of the incidence of anogenital warts and serological test results for other sexually transmitted infections. Acta Dermatovenerol Alp Pannonica Adriat. 2023 Sep;32(3):83-86. PMID: 37749967.
20. Pal T, Aggarwal B, Pandhi D. A retrospective analysis of the epidemiological factors, high-risk groups, and treatment response in patients of anogenital warts attending a tertiary care hospital in Northern India. Indian J Sex Transm Dis AIDS. 2025 Jul-Dec;46(2):164-170.
21. Wang L, Yang B, Tso LS, Zhao P, Ke W, Zhang X, et al. Prevalence of co-infections with other sexually transmitted infections in patients newly diagnosed with anogenital warts in Guangzhou, China. Int J STD AIDS. 2020 Oct;31(11):1073-1081. doi: 10.1177/0956462419890496. Epub 2020 Aug 25.
22. Mussa A, Jarolimova J, Ryan R, Wynn A, Ashour D, Bassett IV, et al. Syphilis prevalence among people living with and without HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sex Transm Dis. 2024;51(3):e1-e7. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001920.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Maria Saleem, Rabia Mukhtar, Ayesha Saleem, Amina Afzal, Ghazala Butt
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Submission declaration
Authors retain the copyright to their work and grant the 'Journal of Pakistan Association of Dermatologists (JPAD)' the right of first publication under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. This license allows others to share, adapt, and reuse the work for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as appropriate credit is given to the original authors and the journal.
By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that the work has not been published previously (except as an abstract, lecture, or academic thesis), is not under review elsewhere, and has been approved by all authors and relevant authorities. Once accepted, the article will be openly accessible under the CC BY 4.0 license, ensuring wide dissemination and reuse with proper attribution.
