Endocrine Abstracts

Pregnancy is a unique state in which a balance of immune tolerance and suppression is necessary to protect the fetus without compromising the mother’s health. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common viral infection mainly transmitted through sexual contact, and it can infect the placenta to increase the inflammatory response in the mother, affecting pregnancy outcomes. The objectives of this research are to evaluate diabetes as a risk factor on the effect on clinical course in pregnancy and maternal outcome in pregnant women with HPV infection and to evaluate the impact on neonatal health in terms of adverse clinical effects.

Methodology: The prospective cohort study was done in a tertiary care institution for two years. The study included 250 pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic for routine check-ups. Written informed consent was obtained from each participant. Participants were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire. HPV DNA was detected using a hybrid capture assay (marketed as Digene HC2 high-risk HPV DNA test, Cat. No./ID: 5199–1220). The cohort was divided into two study groups: 1) those who were HPV positive and 2) those who were HPV negative. SPSS20 (IBM Corporation; NY, USA) was used for statistical analysis of all data.

Results: Out of 228 pregnant women who were followed for their outcome, 27.63% (n = 63) of pregnant women were found positive for the HPV DNA test. In comparing the HPV-positive (n = 63) and HPV-negative (n = 165) groups using chi-square tests, The HPV-positive participants were more likely to have additional morbidities (54%) compared to HPV-negative participants (32.1%). The pregnancy outcome was impacted by more decisions for emergency operative delivery, the preterm onset of labour and babies with lower birth weights.

Conclusion: In summary, the study revealed valuable insights into the relationship between HPV infection during pregnancy and maternal and neonatal health outcomes.