Effect of COVID-19 infection on HPV clearance
Zeynep Kamil Medical Journal, cilt.56, sa.2, ss.84-89, 2025 (Scopus, TRDizin)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 56 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.14744/zkmj.2025.82957
- Dergi Adı: Zeynep Kamil Medical Journal
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.84-89
- Anahtar Kelimeler: COVID-19, dysregulated immune response, HPV clearance, lymphopenia, smoking
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Objective: The objective of the present study was to ascertain the impact of the dysregulated immune response caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on the clearance of human papillomavirus (HPV) in infected patients. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, patients who were followed up at our centre between 2020 and 2022 due to positive test results for HPV 16 or 18 and who had a documented history of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus were included. Patients without a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection constituted the control group. To reduce the number of variables, patients who had received HPV or COVID-19 vaccination were excluded from the study. Results: The study included 105 patients with single HPV (16 or 18) positivity, of whom 55 (52.4%) were COVID-19 positive and 50 (47.6%) were COVID-19 negative. It was found that HPV clearance was statistically significantly lower in HPV-positive patients infected with COVID-19 compared to those who were not infected (p<0.001). Additionally, HPV clearance was found to be statistically significantly lower in the group with a history of smoking (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, commonly referred to as “coronavirus”, may be associated with a reduction in the clearance of HPV types 16 and 18. Despite the modest number of cases included, the findings are significant in establishing a benchmark for future research with larger sample sizes.