Human papillomavirus infection in Southern Chinese women: a population-based study

Abstract

Cervical cancer is a leading cause of death in women worldwide. Persistent infection of high-risk (HR) type human papillomavirus (HPV) is recognized as a necessary cause of cervical cancer. Additionally, the presence of certain predisposing factors in combination of HPV infection will significantly increase the risk of developing cervical cancer. Previous epidemiological studies showed different HPV genotype prevalence between different geographic regions. The objectives of the present study were to study and compare the prevalence and the spectrum of HPV infection in healthy women living in Hong Kong (HK) and Guangdong (GD) regions of China and the association between the potential risk factors and HPV infection. This was a cross-sectional study, and 1526 and 1300 healthy women were recruited from HK and GD, respectively. The overall and type-specific HPV prevalence were studied and compared between the two regions. The results showed that healthy women in GD with normal or abnormal cytology had significantly higher HPV prevalence (10% or 54.5%) than those in HK (6.2% or 33%, p≤0.001). The patterns of age-specific HPV prevalence were also different between the two regions. In HK, the highest HPV prevalence was in the youngest (20-30 years) and the eldest (60 and above) age groups, whereas the highest HPV prevalence in GD was observed in the youngest age group (20-30) and declined as the age increased. HPV16 and HPV52 were the most common high-risk type found in HK and GD, respectively. In HK, younger women had significantly higher risk of HPV infection, whereas lifetime number of sexual partner was strongly associated with the risk of HPV infection in GD. Lack of previous cervical screening, current smoker and having previous sexual transmitted diseases had increased risk of HPV infection for women in both regions. In summary, the overall and type-specific HPV prevalence were found different in healthy women between HK and GD. Together with the understanding of the association between the potential risk factors and HPV infection will be essential for the implementation of effective public health program for prevention of cervical cancer in Southern Chinese women.