CardiovascularOne In Four HIV-Positive Women Does Not Undergo Cervical Cancer Screenings, Study Finds
About one in four HIV-positive women in the U.S. does not opt to undergo an annual Pap test for cervical cancer even though they are at an increased risk for the disease, according to a study in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Reuters reports. For the study, Alexandra Oster and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed the responses of 2,417 HIV-positive women from 18 states who participated in interviews for the Supplement to HIV/AIDS Surveillance Project.The researchers found that 23% of the women had not undergone a Pap test in the year before the interviews and that older age and a poorly functioning immune system were independent predictors of whether women had Pap tests.They wrote, "The risk of cervical cancer has not decreased since the introduction of (highly active antiretroviral) therapy, highlighting the continued importance of cervical cancer screening in this population." They added that "cervical cancer screening should be a high priority" for HIV-positive women (Reuters, 7/30).
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