Prevalence of Human Papilloma Virus Infection in Perimenopausal Women in Bucheon Province / 대한폐경학회지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Bucheon province. METHODS: Two hundred eighty Korean women (average age 41.9, range 21~90 years) were enrolled, who received a regular thinprep pap test and an HPV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) chip test simultaneously at Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Bucheon, from February 2011 to March 2011. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of HPV infection was 33.9% (95/280). The prevalence of HPV infection in postmenopausal women (24.3%) was significantly lower than that of premenopausal women (37.1%, P = 0.049). CONCLUSION: Although the prevalence of HPV infection in postmenopausal women was lower than that of premenopausal women, HPV infection is more critical in postmenopausal women as HPV infection in postmenopausal women is more likely to induce cervical cancer than in premenopausal women.