Open AccessPrevalence of human papillomavirus infection among women in rural Nepal
Author(s) -
Shakya Sunila,
Syversen Unni,
Åsvold Bjørn O.,
Bofin Anna M.,
Aune Guro,
Nordbø Svein A.,
Vaidya Karishma M.,
Karmacharya Biraj M.,
Afset Jan E.,
Tingulstad Solveig
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.1111/aogs.13036
Subject(s) - medicine , papanicolaou stain , cervical cancer , hpv infection , gynecology , population , obstetrics , demography , human papillomavirus , cancer , environmental health , sociology
In this study we aimed to determine the overall and type‐specific prevalence of cervical human papillomavirus ( HPV ) infection and risk factors for such infection among women in rural Nepal, and to investigate the distribution of HPV infection by cervical cytology. Material and methods The study was conducted among women aged ≥15 years in five rural villages within Kavre District in Nepal. Sociodemographic data and information on risk factors for cervical cancer were obtained through an interview, and a cervical specimen was collected for HPV DNA detection and typing using the Anyplex ™ ll HPV 28 Detection system, and for Papanicolaou test. Results Among the 1289 women in whom a valid HPV result was obtained the median age was 40 years (range 17–86 years). Overall, the HPV prevalence was 14.4%, 7.9% for high‐risk and 6.5% for low‐risk HPV types, and was similar between age groups. The five most common HR types were HPV ‐18 (2.3%), HPV ‐51 (1.2%), HPV ‐59 (1.1%), HPV ‐31 (0.9%), and HPV ‐16 (0.8%). The prevalence of high‐risk types in women with and without abnormal cytology was 8.3 and 7.7%, respectively. HPV infection was associated with current smoking, formal education, and being married to a husband with at least one previous marriage. Conclusions This is the first population‐based study to report the prevalence of a broad range of HPV types among women from rural Nepal. These data are crucial for development of preventive strategies to reduce cervical cancer burden in the country.