Clinical course of anogenital warts in men infected with human immunodeficiency virus

Fifty four men with anogenital warts were studied; 22 had concurrent infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The median duration of the warts before and after the start of treatment of seven HIV infected and 10 non-infected heterosexual men was similar. In homosexual men, however, the duration of the lesions in 15 HIV infected patients was greater before and after treatment than in 22 non-HIV infected men. As the median number of CD4+ cells in the peripheral blood was significantly lower in homosexual than heterosexual men infected with HIV, the difference in the course of anogenital warts in homosexual compared with heterosexual men may reflect different degrees of immunosuppression.