Age-specific prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus infection in a Hungarian female population with positive cytology

ObjectivePatients with positive screening results and persistence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection represent the population at the highest risk for developing cervical cancer. To describe the epidemiology in this high-risk population, data were collected and analysed at the referral centre for patients with positive cytology.Study designBetween January 1997 and December 2002 the authors performed 3480 virus identifications using the Digene Hybrid Capture® system in a female population with positive cytology at cervical cancer screening. Age-specific prevalence data were evaluated and compared between the age groups by running the χ2 and Pearson χ2 tests. Subgroup analysis was performed to estimate monthly clearance rates among eligible women with positive HR-HPV results.ResultsLow-risk (LR), high-risk (HR) and double infections were detected in 91 cases (2.6%), 1072 cases (30.8%) and 59 cases (1.7%), respectively. A significantly higher incidence of high-, rather than low-risk HPV infections was found in all age groups (p < 0.001). Also, in this high-risk population with positive screening a significant decrease was detected in the prevalence of both high- and low-risk infections beyond 35 years of age (p < 0.001). However, the decline in the HR-HPV types occurred later than in the case of LR infections, and HR-HPV was of remarkable frequency in the older age groups, which might represent both incidental and prevalent cases. Subgroup analysis for estimating monthly clearance rates revealed no significant differences between the various age groups and between women with various cytology results.ConclusionsIn a population with positive cytology the prevalence of HPV drops with age while the relative frequency of high-risk HPV infection remains at the same level as that of the youngest age group.