(HealthDay News) — Many older women infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) in their youth may not “clear” it from the body as completely as once thought, a new study suggests.
The research hints that HPV infection in older women is often the reactivation of a strain picked up years ago, rather than a newly acquired sexually transmitted infection.
The study authors also found that HPV may be difficult to detect in the body more than one to two years after the initial infection.
“Women who fail to ‘clear’ [HPV] infections are known to be at high risk for cervical cancer, but what are the true long-term risks for the vast majority of women who appear to clear their initial infection? The current study addresses what does ‘clearance’ really mean,” said Dr. Rhoda Sperling, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. She was not connected to the new study. Read full article.
