Incidence of genital warts in adolescents and their association with cervical intraepithelial lesions.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the incidence of genital warts in adolescents and analyze their relationship with the development of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL).

STUDY

DESIGN

From 1993 to 2006 we followed 846 adolescents in the gynecology clinic of a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro. They were sexually active, had a normal smear test and no genital warts upon recruitment and completed two years of follow-up. Data were analyzed using EPI-INFO software. The research was approved by the hospital Ethics Committee.

RESULTS

The mean age at recruitment was 15.8 ± 1.4 years and at first intercourse was 14.7 ± 1.6. Sixty-three (7.4%) adolescents presented condylomata, 5.6% (48/846) during the first year of sexual activity and 1.8% (15/846) during the second year. Within two years, 20.5% (174/846) of the patients had an abnormal smear test. Seventy percent (44/63) of the patients with genital warts developed a SIL. The association between warts and SIL showed a RR=4.2(3.3-5.3).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of condylomata was one third of the incidence of SIL and was higher during the first than in the second year of sexual activity. Adolescents with genital warts had a fourfold increase in risk of SIL and therefore should be carefully followed up.