Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of Oncogenic-Risk Human Papilloma Virus in the Cervix of Climacteric Women with Normal Pap Smears

Objective: To find out the incidence of high-risk HPV infections on climacteric women within our area of influence; and to typify HPV genotypes on women with normal cytology that come to our hospitalary unit of menopausia. Material and Method: Cross-sectional study; with a random sample of 140 cases of climacteric women of ≥50 years of age, with normal Pap smears for the last 12 months. HPV determination was carried out by PCR for screening, and by hybrid capture for genotype typification. Results: The percentage of climacteric women who are carriers of oncogenic HPV and a normal Pap smear was of 11.43% (16/140 cases). The genotype found most frequently was HPV-16, followed by HPV-58, 51 and 18. Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of women who were carriers of oncogenic HPV in climacteric women with normal Pap smears (latent infections) in our health region. We consider that cervical cancer screening, either by PCR or conventional Pap smear, should not be minimized or ignored from 50 years of age onwards.