Detection of genital human papillomavirus and associated cytological abnormalities among college women.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is strongly implicated in the etiology of cervical neoplasia; however, the frequency, rate, and predictors of neoplastic progression are unknown.

GOAL

To measure the type-specific prevalence of cervical HPV and the rate of development of cytological abnormalities among a cohort of college women and to elucidate factors associated with acquisition of HPV DNA and progression to cytological abnormalities.

STUDY DESIGN

Women 18 to 40 years of age seeking routine gynecologic care at a university health center were enrolled in a cross-sectional study with prospective, longitudinal follow-up of a subset of women. Demographic and behavioral data were collected using a written questionnaire. HPV DNA was detected in cervical scrapes by polymerase chain reaction using L1 consensus primers and a generic and 25 type-specific probes, and cervical cytological abnormalities were identified by Papanicolaou's (Pap) smear.

RESULTS

HPV DNA was detected in 35% of the 414 women in the cross-sectional study; 66% of infections were with intermediate or high cancer risk HPV types. Multiple lifetime sex partners was an independent predictor of prevalent infection. Longitudinal analysis of 205 women showed that detection was transient (HPV DNA absent at follow-up) in 38% of the 84 women who were HPV-positive at enrollment. Persistent detection of the same HPV type at > or = 2 visits occurred in 14% of women and was significantly more common when intermediate or high cancer risk types were present. After 16 months of observation, 9% of HPV-infected women developed low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) and 5% developed high-grade SIL; the risk of incident SIL was 7.8-fold higher among women who had persistent HPV detection with the same type.

CONCLUSIONS

It was concluded that cervical HPV infection is highly prevalent among college women. Although most infections are caused by intermediate of high cancer risk types, few women (5%) developed high-grade SIL during 16 months of observation.