Cervical human papillomavirus screening among older women.
Rates of acquisition and clearance of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) during a 3-year period in women 51 years of age were compared with rates in younger women to provide data on cervical screening for women >50 years of age. Paired, cytologically negative, archived cervical smears taken 3 years apart from 710 women in Nottingham, United Kingdom, were retrieved and tested for HPV infection with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with GP5+/6+ primers. Seventy-one (21.3%) of 333 women 51 years of age who were HPV negative at baseline were positive 3 years later. This percentage was higher than the corresponding acquisition rates among women 21 (15.2%), 31 (14.1%), and 41 (13.3%) years of age, although these differences were not significant. This retrospective study shows that HPV-negative women >50 years of age can acquire HPV and, therefore, require cervical screening.
Grainge
Matthew J
MJ
Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom NG7 2UH. matthew.grainge@nottingham.ac.uk
Seth
Rashmi
R
Guo
Li
L
Neal
Keith R
KR
Coupland
Carol
C
Vryenhoef
Paul
P
Johnson
Jane
J
Jenkins
David
D
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000379:methods*
D004279:DNA, Viral