Distribution of high-risk human papillomavirus and its association with cervical cytological abnormalities in women from Northeast India

Abstract

Despite the high incidence of cervical cancer in India, there aren't enough studies on the prevalence of the human papillomavirus (HPV). The study aimed at assessing the prevalence of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) types and their association with cytological abnormalities among the adult women of Barak Valley, Northeast India. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 562 women aged 18–50+ years and screened for nine high-risk HPV genotypes and liquid-based cytology (LBC) classified by the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) system. The overall HPV prevalence was 16.55%, with HPV-16 (12.28%) and HPV-18 as the two most common genotypes. Co-infection was observed with HPV-16 + HPV-18 (3.38%) and HPV-16 + HPV-31 (2.31%). Abnormal cytology was found in 10.1% of women in the order of CIN 1 (5.9%), CIN 2 (3.0%), and CIN 3 (1.2%). It showed a progressive increase in HPV positivity along with lesion severity ( p < 0.001). Bivariate analysis identified women reporting: nulliparous (Odds ratio [OR] = 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27-3.85), high-parity (OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 2.11-6.5), irregular menstruation (OR = 4.72, 95% CI= 2.94-7.56), history of warts (OR = 13.8, 95% CI = 8.17-23.2), and pregnancy failure (OR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.34-4.06) had a higher risk of acquiring HPV positivity. The study found a high burden of hrHPV and emphasises adopting comprehensive approaches for effective cervical cancer prevention by increasing awareness, providing vaccinations, routine screenings, implementing national policies, and funding better healthcare facilities.