New research suggests there might be a difference in the time it takes for white women and African American women to fight off HPV infections. But most findings point to access to health care services as the main problem.
When it comes to cervical cancer caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV, African American women have higher rates than their white counterparts. Reduced access to pap smears in some areas may be the reason why.
But Kim Creek at the University of South Carolina wants to know where biology fits into the picture. He tracked about 460 white and African-American college-aged women. Creek looked at the time it took their bodies to overcome an HPV infection.
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