Genital infections of HIV-infected women assisted by a specialized service

Abstract

The present study aimed at analyzing the persistence/recurrence of genital infections and its associated factors in HIV-infected women. Fifty-eight women treated for chlamydial infection, trichomoniasis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, and/or bacterial vaginosis (BV) and who had specimens collected for cure control up to one year after treatment were studied. Diagnoses were performed by the Gram staining method for cases of BV and candidiasis and by T. vaginalis culture and qualitative PCR for C. trachomatis. Antiretroviral therapy was used by 79.3% of patients, and 62.1% showed an undetectable HIV plasma load. The most frequent infection was BV with persistence/recurrence of 52.4%, which was associated with a longer time period between treatment and cure control (P = 0.0455), postmenopausal period (P = 0.0451), and having a steady partner (P = 0.007). Persistence/recurrence of vulvovaginal candidiasis was observed in 25%, trichomoniasis in 23.1%, and chlamydial infection in 10.5%. The letter was associated with inadequate treatment of the partner (P = 0.073) among patients with low T CD4 lymphocyte counts. The majority of women in the present study showed good HIV-infection control and a vulnerable sexual behavior, which stress the importance of maintaining gynecological followup.