CD41 Cell Count and HIV Load as Predictors of Size of Anal Warts Over Time in HIV-Infected Women

Background. Little is known about the associations between CD41 cell counts, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) load, and human papillomavirus ‘‘low-risk’ ’ types in noncancerous clinical outcomes. This study examined whether CD41 count and HIV load predict the size of the largest anal warts in 976 HIV-infected women in an ongoing cohort. Methods. A linear mixed model was used to determine the association between size of anal wart and CD41 count and HIV load. Results. The incidence of anal warts was 4.15 cases per 100 person-years (95 % confidence interval [CI], 3.83–4.77) and 1.30 cases per 100 person-years (95 % CI, 1.00–1.58) in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women, respectively. There appeared to be an inverse association between size of the largest anal warts and CD41 count at baseline; however, this was not statistically significant. There was no association between size of the largest anal warts and CD41 count or HIV load over time. Conclusions. There was no evidence for an association between size of the largest anal warts and CD41 count or HIV load over time. Further exploration on the role of immune response on the development of anal warts is warranted in a larger study. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a necessary cause o