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Women infected with HIV and the impact of associated sexually transmitted infections
Author(s) -
Reda Somaia,
Gonçalves Fernanda Aguiar,
Mazepa Melissa Mello,
De Carvalho Newton Sérgio
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1002/ijgo.12507
Subject(s) - bacterial vaginosis , syphilis , chlamydia , medicine , gonorrhea , sex organ , transmission (telecommunications) , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , chlamydia trachomatis , immunology , concomitant , obstetrics , biology , electrical engineering , genetics , engineering
Objective To review the relationship between concomitant sexually transmitted infections in women infected with HIV. Methods PubMed and Scopus were searched for articles published in English and Portuguese between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 2015, using relevant keywords, including AIDS, HIV, female genital diseases, and sexually transmitted infections. Articles that associated sexually transmitted infections with HIV‐infected women were selected for inclusion. Those that only investigated prevalence in pregnant women or focused on social or behavioral aspects were excluded. Results Of 108 identified articles, 24 were included. When correlated with HIV, genital herpes demonstrated an increased recurrence rate and increased replication rate for HIV in the mucosa. In HIV‐positive women, syphilis can cause more genital ulcers. Bacterial vaginosis provides a pool of microorganisms that can increase the viral copy levels of genital HIV. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and candidiasis may be more severe and complicated in women infected with HIV. Conclusions Screening of HIV‐positive patients who could have other sexually transmitted infections is important to protect women and decrease the risk of transmission.