Cervical cytology abnormalities and associated genotype patterns of high-risk human papillomavirus infection in women of Tripura, Northeastern India: a hospital-based study

Human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and age variation in cervical samples of different cytologic categories and HPV types from women seeking gynecological care in Tripura, northeast India, were studied. Pap smears, cervical tissues, and HPV DNA specimens were collected from gynecologic outpatient departments or in patients and were screened for HPV16, HPV18, and other HPV types by polymerase chain reaction. Logistic regression was performed to find any association between epidemiologic factors and HPV infection in women with specimens of different cytologic grades. About 90% of HPV-screened women were HPV positive. Human papillomavirus 16 was most common in HPV-positive women (53.27%), followed by HPV16/18 coinfection (26.17%). These 2 HPV types were more frequent (86.45%) compared with other HPV types (13.55%). Among the confirmed cytologic tests, 68.83% of samples had normal cytology; the rest showed atypical abrasions. Among the participants with abnormal cytology, 94.37% were HPV positive and 42.25% had cervical cancer. The prevalence of HPV increased with cytologic abnormalities (P < .01). Abnormal cytologic lesions increased with age (P = .017 for trend). Among all epidemiologic factors studied, parity was strongly associated with overall HPV infection, regardless of cytologic status. The high frequency of HPV infection observed in this study warrants further investigation. This article is part of a Special Collection on Gynecological Cancer.