Female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been found have higher rates of persistent HPV infections and precancerous lesions compared to the healthy population. The HPV vaccine Gardasil has been found to be safe and efficacious in females aged 9 to 26 years. There are no data on the immunogenicity and safety of Gardasil in females with SLE. Immune dysfunction related to SLE itself and the immunosuppression secondary to treatment of SLE might prevent patients with SLE from developing an adequate immune response to the vaccine. Also, theoretically, the vaccine might induce a disease exacerbation or production of new autoantibodies.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate immunogenicity and safety of Gardasil and its effects on autoantibody profile in female SLE patients aged 9-26 years
