Epidemiological characteristics of human papillomavirus in Guangzhou, China-A retrospective analysis of 76,898 cases.

BACKGROUND

Persistent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) plays a key role in cervical cancer development. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological trends and genotype distribution of HPV from 2013 to 2021 in Guangzhou, China.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 76,898 women who attended either the Gynecology Outpatient Department or underwent routine health examinations at the Health Management Center of Sun Yat-sen University. HPV testing was performed using hybrid capture-based assays, capable of detecting 15 high-risk and 6 low-risk HPV genotypes. Chi-square tests were used to compare HPV genotype prevalence between the two groups and to assess differences in single vs. multiple infections. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was applied to evaluate temporal trends in HPV prevalence.

RESULTS

The overall HPV prevalence was 15.21% [95% CI: 14.95-15.45%], with 16.52% [95% CI: 16.23-16.82%] among 60,399 gynecological outpatients and 10.35% [95% CI: 9.90-10.83%] among 16,499 healthy women. The most prevalent genotypes were HPV-52 (3.31%, 95% CI: 3.18 - 3.43%), HPV-16 (2.30%, 95% CI: 2.2 - 2.41%), and HPV-58 (1.97%, 95% CI: 1.88 - 2.07%), followed by HPV-CP8304 (1.48%, 95% CI: 1.39 - 1.56%), HPV-39 (1.39%, 95% CI: 1.31 - 1.47%). HPV-16, 18, 31, 33, 53, 66, and CP8304 declined (p < 0.05), while HPV-35, 39, 42, 43, 44, 51, 56, and 68 increased (p < 0.05). Single- and multiple-type HPV infections had prevalences of 11.70% [ 95% CI: 11.47-11.93%]and 3.50% [95% CI: 3.37-3.63%], respectively. Both were significantly more prevalent in gynecological outpatients than in health examination participants (p < 0.001). The age distribution of HPV-positive individuals peaked at 30 years.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the high prevalence of HPV-52, HPV-16, and HPV-58 in Guangzhou, with single-type infections being predominant. While some genotypes declined, others showed an increasing trend, emphasizing the need for continuous surveillance. These findings offer epidemiological insights to guide targeted vaccination policies. Given the lack of vaccination data, future studies integrating vaccination history and clinical outcomes are needed to clarify HPV genotype trends and their role in cervical cancer prevention.