Treatment and Follow-up of Human Papillomavirus Infected Women in a Municipality in Southern Brazil

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> This study aimed toanalyze the risk behavior for cervical cancer (CC) and the humanpapillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and resolution among women who received care through the private healthcarenetwork of a municipality in southern Brazil. Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: This descriptive and retrospective studywas conducted with 25 women aged 20 to 59 years who received care through the private healthcare network andwere treated at a specialty clinic in the period from January to December 2012 in a municipality in NorthwestParana, Southern Brazil. Data from medical records with cytological and HPV results were used. Followingtreatment, these women were followed-up and reassessed after 6 months. Data were statistically analyzed usingthe t-test and chi-squared test at a 5% significance level. <br/><b>Results</b>: The mean age of the studied women was27.8±7.75 years old, and the majority were married, with paid employment and were non-smokers. The meanage at menarche was 13.0±0.50 years old, and the mean age at first intercourse was 17.5±1.78 years, with only8.0% (2) initiating sexual activity at an age ≤15 years old. The majority had 1 to 2 children (60.0%), while 88.0%reported having had one sexual partner in their lifetime, and all the women were sexually active. A total of 68.0%used a hormonal contraceptive method. All the women had leukorrhea and pain and were infected by a singleHPV type. Regarding the lesion grade, 80.0% showed high risk and 20.0% low risk. The most prevalent high-riskHPV strain was 16. <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: These findings provide relevant information on HPV risk factors and infection,as well as the treatment and 6-month follow-up results, in economically and socially advantaged women with notraditional risk factors, corroborating previous reports that different risk factors may be described in differentpopulations. Thus, this study reinforces the fact that even women without the traditional risk factors shouldundergo HPVmonitoring and assessment to determine the persistence of infection, promoting early diagnosisof the lesions presented and appropriate treatment to thus prevent the occurrence of CC.