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Published on: March 11, 2014
Prevalence of human papillomavirus in spontaneously aborted products of conception
Mariusz Skoczyński1, Anna Goździcka-Józefiak, Anna Kwaśniewska
1Department of Obstetrics and Pathology of Pregnancy, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland. mskoczynski@wp.pl
Objective:
To compare the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in placentas from women with spontaneous abortions and from control women after term delivery.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Department of Obstetrics and Pathology of Pregnancy, Medical University of Lublin (Poland).
Population:
Patients whose spontaneous abortions occurred between the 6th and the 16th week of pregnancy (n=51), and women after term delivery (n=78).
Method:
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Main Outcome Measures:
HPV DNA prevalence rate and the fraction of HPV 16/18 infections in aborted products of conception and placentas.
Results:
Patients with spontaneous abortion did not differ from the controls in terms of mean age and the fraction of primiparas. The DNA of HPV was detected in 17.7% of aborted products of conception and in 24.4% of placentas from term deliveries. The aborted products of conception and full-term placentas were positive for HPV 16/18 in 11.8 and 12.8% cases, respectively. Patients whose material was positive for HPV DNA or those with confirmed HPV 16/18 did not differ significantly from HPV-negative women in terms of mean age and the fraction of primiparas.
Conclusions:
The HPV 16/18 infection rate does not seem be higher in cases of spontaneous abortions. Nevertheless, further study of the consequences of HPV infection in pregnancy is still needed.
