Characteristics of human papillomavirus prevalence and infection patterns among women aged 25–64 according to age groups and cytology results in Ordos City, China

Abstract

Background The assessment of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype distribution in terms of age and cervical lesions could contribute to the adoption of more targeted preventive approaches to specific populations against cervical cancer. The current study was conducted in Ordos City, China, with the aim of analyzing the HPV genotypes prevalence and infection patterns within a hospital-based population. Methods The analysis included a total of 26,692 women aged 25–64 who underwent cervical cancer screening between January 1st, 2019, and June 30th, 2022, in Ordos City. These women had valid results for both the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-reverse dot blot (RDB) HPV test and the liquid-based cytology (thinprep cytologic test/TCT). Data were extracted from the database of KingMed Diagnostics laboratories. The prevalence of HPV genotypes within different age groups and cytology diagnoses were calculated. Results Among 26,692 women, 7136 (26.73%) women were HPV positive, 5696 (21.34%) women were high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) positive, and 2102 (7.88%) women had multiple HPV infections. The most frequently detected HPV genotypes were HPV16 (4.72%) and HPV52 (4.15%), ranking as the first and second most prevalent genotypes, respectively. The prevalence of HR-HPV increased with age groups and severity of cervical lesions. Notably, the positive rate of HR-HPV among women aged 35–64 years showed a decreasing trend over the respective years, ranging from 26.00 to 19.70% (Ptrend < 0.001). Conclusion In conclusion, the epidemiology of HPV genotypes partly reflects the effectiveness of regional cervical cancer prevention and control efforts in the past. These findings can inform future initiatives concerning HPV vaccination and screening in the region.