Genital warts and condom use in HIV-positive patients referred to High-Risk Behaviors Consultation Center in Shiraz, Iran, between 2018 and 2019

Abstract

Introduction: People with untreated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are more prone to present active human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, and may experience worse symptoms of HPV, such as cervical and penile warts. Therefore, HPV prevention is especially important in HIV-positive individuals. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of genital warts and condom use in sexually active individuals with HIV/AIDS treated in the Behavioral Counseling Center of Shiraz. Material and methods: 224 HIV-positive subjects (112 males and 112 females) were included in this cross-sectional study, selected from database of the Behavioral Counseling Center of Shiraz, with simple random sampling. Data were collected using demographic questionnaires, interviews, and medical records. Results: Genital warts were reported only in 13.4% of women and 17.0% of men, and the percentage of condom use among women and men was 65.2% and 74.1%, respectively. Moreover, 68.8% of men and 87.5% of women presented first stage of HIV infection. Conclusions: According to the results, condoms were the most commonly used form of contraception in women and men with HIV/AIDS, and genital warts were reported only in 13.4% of women and 17% of men, few of whom did not use any contraception. Due to high percentage of genital warts among participants, there is a need to encourage these patients to use condoms due their protective effects and reduction of cervical and penile lesions. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of genital warts and condom use in sexually active people with HIV/ AIDS treated in the High-Risk Behavioral Center of Shiraz. Sub-objectives were determining as: 1) clinical staging of HIV/AIDS for adults; 2) frequency of using contraceptives among men and women with HIV/AIDS; 3) frequency of genital warts among HIV/AIDS-positive men and women.