Epidemiologic correlates of cervical neoplasia and risk of human papillomavirus infection in asymptomatic women in Brazil

Abstract

To investigate whether the epidemiologic correlates of cervical cancer are predictors of infection with genital human papillomavirus (HPV), we performed a prevalence survey in two metropolitan areas of Brazil, Recife and São Paulo. The data records of four randomly selected HPV-negative women were matched on the basis of age, clinic, and admission period with those of each of 136 patients with positive HPV DNA hybridizations. Anal intercourse [prevalence rate ratio (PRR) = 1.7] and current pregnancy (PRR = 2.3) were the only variables associated with HPV 6/11 infection (P