HPV infection, HPV immunization, and RA prevalence: What is the link?

Key clinical point: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection was associated with an increased prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), whereas HPV immunization lowered RA prevalence in adults aged 18-59 years.

Major finding: A significant association was observed between HPV infection and increased prevalence of RA (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.074; 95% CI 1.071-1.076), whereas HPV immunization was associated with a significantly reduced RA prevalence (aOR 0.477; 95% CI 0.472-0.481).

Study details: Findings are from a population-based cohort study including adults age 18-59 years with complete data on HPV infection and history of RA (n = 15,677) and those with complete data on HPV vaccination and history of RA (n = 8944).

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Disclosures: This study was supported by the Nanjing Medical University Science, China, and Technology Development Fund and other sources. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Yang G et al. Association between human papillomavirus infection or immunization and risk for rheumatoid arthritis. Front Immunol. 2023;14:1130217 (Apr 14). Doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1130217