title: Prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus among older women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence, genotypes, and individual-level correlates of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) among women aged 57-85.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-residing women (N=1,550), aged 57-85, were drawn from a nationally representative probability sample. In-home interviews and biomeasures, including a self-collected vaginal specimen, were obtained between 2005 and 2006. Specimens were analyzed for high-risk HPV DNA using Hybrid Capture 2; of 1,028 specimens provided, 1,010 were adequate for analysis. All samples testing positive were analyzed for HPV DNA by L1 consensus polymerase chain reaction followed by type-specific hybridization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall population-based weighted estimate of high-risk HPV prevalence by Hybrid Capture 2 (Digene Corp.) was 6.0% (95% confidence interval 4.5- 7.9). Current marital and smoking status, frequency of sexual activity, history of cancer, and hysterectomy were associated with high-risk HPV positivity. Among high-risk HPV-positive women, 63% had multiple type infections. Human papillomavirus-16 or -18 was present in 17.4% of all high-risk HPV-positive women. The most common high-risk genotypes among high-risk HPV-positive women were HPV-61 (19.1%), -31 (13.1%), -52 (12.9%), -58 (12.5%), -83 (12.3%), -66 (12.0%), -51 (11.7%), -45 (11.2%), -56 (10.3%), -53 (10.2%), -16 (9.7%), and -62 (9.2%). Being married and having an intact uterus were independently associated with lower prevalence of high-risk HPV. Among unmarried women, current sexual activity and smoking were independently and positively associated with high-risk HPV infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this nationally representative population, nearly 1 in 16 women aged 57-85 was found to have high-risk HPV, and prevalence was stable across older age groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  II.
authors.affiliation: University of Chicago Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. slindau@uchicago.edu
authors.forename: Stacy Tessler
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lindau
authors.forename: Melinda L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Drum
authors.forename: Elyzabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gaumer
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Surawska
authors.forename: Jeanne A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Jordan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D052685:Alphapapillomavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence