Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in HIV seropositive patients

In order to assess the frequency of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in a high risk population, 32 women infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with no AIDS-related symptoms, underwent colposcopic, cytologic and histologic examinations of the uterine cervix. In seven cases (21.9%) cervical smears showed dysplasia and in nine cases (28.1%) histologic evaluation indicated CIN. No invasive carcinomas were observed. In seven of the nine women CIN was associated with lesions due to human papillomavirus infection (HPV). These data confirm that HIV-positive women are at increased risk for developing neoplasias in the lower genital tract and are in need of regular and careful cytologic and, in particular, colposcopic and histologic examinations.