Comparison of risk factors, severity, and treatment of women with genital HPV.

The incidence of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) has increased 10-fold in the past 5 years, and HPV has recently been linked with cervical carcinoma. This retrospective study compared risk behaviors and cofactors of HPV between two groups of women diagnosed with HPV. Women attending a Student Health Center were younger and more likely to have more sex partners, chlamydia, and other sexually transmitted disease infections than women attending private gynecologists. These women were older, and more likely to be former smokers and to have had gardnerella infections than the women students. Age at first sexual intercourse and duration of oral contraceptive use did not differ between the groups. Diagnostic reports of HPV were compared, and women attending gynecologists had significantly higher colposcopy impressions and cervical biopsies than the student group. Women attending private gynecologists were more likely to receive laser treatment on several genital sites, whereas students were more likely to receive trichloracetic acid or cryotherapy on their cervix only.