Human papillomavirus infection and follow-up on positive results in 7222 female samples obtained from 2016 to 2019 in Hefei, China

Abstract

Background. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection rates in women vary regionally. This study analyzed HPV infection in women of different age groups in Hefei, China, performed follow-up on positive cases, and discussed infection prognoses. Methods. Samples (7,222) of exfoliated cervical cells were collected in Hefei and tested with anHPV assay kit against 27HPV genotypes. Statistical software was used to analyze the data. Results. The total positive rate of infection was 17.13% (1,068 women), and the 51_60- year age group had the highest HPV infection rate (19.82%). There were statistically significant differences between rates in the 21-30 and 31-40 (P D 0.002), 21-30 and 41-50 (P D 0.0003), 21-30 and 51-60 (P D 0.00003), and 51-60 and >60 age groups (P D 0.046). High-risk infection (15.67%) and single infection (13.01%) were the main types of HPV infection. The dominant genotypes of high-risk infection were HPV 52 (2.42%), HPV 16 (2.01%), HPV 53 (1.43%), HPV 58 (1.32%) and HPV 66 (1.01%). We conducted follow-up on cases in 69 of 94 women who had a history of 1_4 years of positive infection, and in 18 (seven treated, 11 untreated) patients, infection status turned negative (26.09%). Seventeen of the fifty-one women whose infections did not turn negative received treatment. Persistent infection was predominantly observed in high-risk genotypes (56 of 69). Conclusions. The results recommend that women in Hefei improve health awareness and receive a 9-valent vaccine. Additionally, women with persistent infections should consult a gynecologist to prevent cervical lesions.