Papillomavirus Load in Rheumatic Inflammatory Diseases

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) are the two most common chronic inflammatory rheumatism, with a prevalence in the French population of 0.3% and 0.4%, according to the criteria European League Against Rheumatism / American College of Rheumatology (EULAR / ACR) 2010 and Assessemnt of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) 2009 respectively. In patients whose pathology is resistant to first-line treatment, such as methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis and peripheral spondyloarthritis, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for axial spondyloarthritis, the treatment is based on biotherapies, such as anti-inflammatory drugs. -TNF, to obtain effective control of the disease and prevent joint damage. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, the leading risk factor for cervical carcinoma, is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) with a particularly high prevalence among young women. In addition, anti-TNF, used in the treatment of RA and SpA, and anti-IL6 receptor, used in that of RA, could have opposite effects on HPV-dependent oncogenesis. Thus, patients with RA or SpA may have a higher risk than the general population of progression to cervical cytological abnormalities. Evaluation of the chronic carriage of HPV would then be a useful tool in the management of these patients.