Epidemiology of human papillomavirus infection and abnormal cytologic test results in an urban adolescent population.

We determined the prevalence of and the risk factors for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and abnormal cytologic test results in 312 adolescent girls (mean age, 16.1 years). Subjects had a median of 2 years of sexual activity and 4 lifetime sex partners. Cervical HPV was detected by use of L1-consensus polymerase chain reaction in 64% of subjects; half of those with HPV had >1 type, and 77% had >/=1 high-risk type. Independent risk factors for HPV were lifetime number of sex partners, age of partner, and douching. Cytologic abnormalities were common (20.9% of subjects had atypical squamous cells of uncertain significance, and 17.0% had high- or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions) and were significantly associated with detection of HPV (P=.0001); however, most (51.6%) subjects with HPV had normal cytologic test results.