Table 2.
Associations between reproductive health and vaginal hygiene and transient or persistent HPV infections in the Ludwig-McGill cohort study
| Variable | Transient HPV infectiona | Persistent HPV infectionb | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORc | 95 % CI | ORc | 95 % CI | |
| Reproductive Health Factors | ||||
| Condom Use | ||||
| Former vs. Never | 1.33 | 0.95, 1.86 | 1.06 | 0.77, 1.46 |
| Current vs. Never | 1.47 | 1.00, 2.16 | 1.24 | 0.86, 1.80 |
| Oral Contraceptives | ||||
| < 6 years vs. Never | 1.16 | 0.76, 1.75 | 1.02 | 0.69, 1.52 |
| 6+ years vs. Never | 0.90 | 0.56, 1.46 | 1.14 | 0.73, 1.77 |
| Intrauterine Device | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 0.65 | 0.48, 0.87 | 0.77 | 0.57, 1.03 |
| Tubal Sterilization | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 0.78 | 0.47, 1.28 | 0.75 | 0.46, 1.23 |
| Contraceptive Injection | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 1.58 | 1.10, 2.26 | 1.31 | 0.91, 1.89 |
| Natural Products | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 0.17 | 0.02, 1.31 | 0.46 | 0.14, 1.55 |
| Vaginal Products | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 0.88 | 0.30, 2.56 | 0.76 | 0.26, 2.21 |
| Genital Health and Hygiene Factors | ||||
| Menstrual Cloth | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 1.00 | 0.74, 1.36 | 0.79 | 0.58, 1.06 |
| Hygienic Tampon | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 1.48 | 1.00, 2.20 | 1.42 | 0.96, 2.08 |
| Douching | ||||
| Frequent vs. Infrequent | 1.10 | 0.60, 2.00 | 1.12 | 0.62, 2.01 |
| Douching Products | ||||
| Natural vs. None | 0.86 | 0.62, 1.19 | 0.80 | 0.57, 1.12 |
| Medical vs. None | 0.82 | 0.28, 2.40 | 1.70 | 0.72, 4.02 |
| Unknown vs. None | 0.36 | 0.09, 1.51 | 1.03 | 0.37, 2.87 |
| Genital Discomfort | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 0.87 | 0.65, 1.18 | 0.89 | 0.67, 1.20 |
| Recent Discomfort | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 1.06 | 0.79, 1.41 | 1.22 | 0.93, 1.59 |
| Pain or Bleeding | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 0.61 | 0.07, 5.03 | 0.90 | 0.18, 4.48 |
| Gynecologic Products | ||||
| Antibiotic | ||||
| Former vs. Never | 1.00 | 0.53, 1.89 | 2.09 | 1.10, 3.98 |
| Current vs. Never | 0.89 | 0.37, 2.15 | 2.50 | 1.23, 5.08 |
| Antifungal | ||||
| Former vs. Never | 1.74 | 0.94, 3.20 | 1.51 | 0.81, 2.82 |
| Current vs. Never | 1.52 | 0.67, 3.45 | 1.80 | 0.78, 4.13 |
| Abrasion | ||||
| Former vs. Never | 4.17 | 0.49, 35.27 | 2.47 | 0.40, 15.26 |
| Current vs. Never | 5.40 | 0.26, 113.29 | - | - |
| External Products | ||||
| Former vs. Never | 1.46 | 0.18, 11.99 | 0.91 | 0.08, 10.66 |
| Current vs. Never | 6.43 | 0.65, 63.70 | - | - |
| Unknown Products | ||||
| Former vs. Never | 1.03 | 0.58, 1.84 | 1.14 | 0.65, 2.02 |
| Current vs. Never | 1.31 | 0.62, 2.81 | 1.93 | 0.95, 3.93 |
| Home-made Products | ||||
| Natural vs. None | 1.00 | 0.74, 1.37 | 0.93 | 0.69, 1.26 |
| Medical vs. None | 0.97 | 0.47, 1.98 | 0.77 | 0.38, 1.56 |
| Unknown vs. None | 1.17 | 0.24, 5.73 | 3.20 | 1.00, 10.24 |
| Vaginal Health Characteristics | ||||
| Cervical Ectropion | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 1.01 | 0.41, 2.52 | 0.81 | 0.30, 2.19 |
| Gynecologic Surgery | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 1.22 | 0.72, 2.04 | 1.39 | 0.86, 2.25 |
| Gynecologic Infection/Treatment | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 0.90 | 0.65, 1.24 | 1.14 | 0.84, 1.54 |
| Previous Gynecologic Infection | ||||
| HPV vs. None | 3.23 | 1.91, 5.47 | 2.46 | 1.40, 4.31 |
| Non-HPV vs. None | 0.95 | 0.66, 1.37 | 1.15 | 0.82, 1.61 |
| Cytology Observations | ||||
| Bacterial Infection | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 1.16 | 0.69, 1.95 | 1.45 | 0.91, 2.31 |
| Fungal Infection | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 1.05 | 0.63, 1.75 | 1.24 | 0.77, 2.01 |
| General Inflammation | ||||
| Yes vs. No | 1.73 | 1.27, 2.35 | 1.62 | 1.20, 2.19 |
a Transient HPV infections were defined as one positive test result in the first four visits, followed by two subsequent negative results
b Persistent HPV infections were defined as two or more positive HPV test results over the first four visits, with no more than one negative result between two positive test results
c Odds ratios were adjusted for age, lifetime number of sexual partners and empirical confounders (identified using a 5 % change in estimate strategy) such as race, marital status, education, age at first intercourse, age at menarche, number of pregnancies, smoking, alcohol drinking and years since last Pap smear