Abstract
Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually-transmitted infection, particularly among sexually-active individuals.
Objectives: This investigation aimed to assess the prevalence of HPV infection among males and females in Southern Iran. While previous studies have been conducted in different provinces of Iran, this study stands out as the first survey in Iran with a four-type sample.
Methods: This cross-sectional study, which analyzed a group of individuals residing in the southern region of Iran, comprised 82 females (71.9%) and 32 males (28.1%). The age range of the subjects varied from 13 to 74 years’ old, most of whom being sexually active. The primary objective of this research was to investigate and examine the presence of HPV infection in various anatomical sites of both healthy women and those with external genital warts (eGW).
Results: These anatomical sites include the oral, anal, vaginal, and urinary areas. Our study found that 79 individuals (69.3%) tested positive for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) out of the total population. Of them, 65 (81.3%) were in the eGW group and 14 (41.2%) in the normal population. The study revealed a statistically significant (P≤ 0.1) difference in the occurrence of HPV in oral samples when comparing the two groups. In the eGW group, 61 participants had Low-Risk HPV (LR-HPV) genotypes, and 4 individuals were positive for HPV-18. In contrast, 14 individuals in the normal population tested positive for LR-HPV genotypes. It is worth noting that a significantly higher proportion of positive HPV results, approximately 29%, was observed when analyzing anal and urine samples compared to vaginal samples from females in the normal population.
Conclusions: We observed significant differences in the prevalence of HPV infection among eGW individuals compared to the normal population. Overall, the prevalence of HPV among four samples from EGW individuals was approximately twice that of the normal population. Additional research is necessary to enhance our understanding of the connection between HPV infection and eGW, and other sociodemographic factors.
Objectives: This investigation aimed to assess the prevalence of HPV infection among males and females in Southern Iran. While previous studies have been conducted in different provinces of Iran, this study stands out as the first survey in Iran with a four-type sample.
Methods: This cross-sectional study, which analyzed a group of individuals residing in the southern region of Iran, comprised 82 females (71.9%) and 32 males (28.1%). The age range of the subjects varied from 13 to 74 years’ old, most of whom being sexually active. The primary objective of this research was to investigate and examine the presence of HPV infection in various anatomical sites of both healthy women and those with external genital warts (eGW).
Results: These anatomical sites include the oral, anal, vaginal, and urinary areas. Our study found that 79 individuals (69.3%) tested positive for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) out of the total population. Of them, 65 (81.3%) were in the eGW group and 14 (41.2%) in the normal population. The study revealed a statistically significant (P≤ 0.1) difference in the occurrence of HPV in oral samples when comparing the two groups. In the eGW group, 61 participants had Low-Risk HPV (LR-HPV) genotypes, and 4 individuals were positive for HPV-18. In contrast, 14 individuals in the normal population tested positive for LR-HPV genotypes. It is worth noting that a significantly higher proportion of positive HPV results, approximately 29%, was observed when analyzing anal and urine samples compared to vaginal samples from females in the normal population.
Conclusions: We observed significant differences in the prevalence of HPV infection among eGW individuals compared to the normal population. Overall, the prevalence of HPV among four samples from EGW individuals was approximately twice that of the normal population. Additional research is necessary to enhance our understanding of the connection between HPV infection and eGW, and other sociodemographic factors.
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Copyright
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