Human papillomavirus correlates of high grade cervical dysplasia among HIV-Infected women at a major treatment centre in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

The Burden of HPV Infections and HPV-Related Diseases Among People With HIV: A Systematic Literature Review

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with a significant global burden of precancerous lesions and cancer. People with HIV (PWH) are at higher risk of HPV infection and HPV-related diseases. This systematic review was conducted to synthesize data on the burden of HPV infection and HPV-related diseases among PWH. Studies published between January 2018-June 2023 were sourced from databases and conferences. Included were 221 publications containing epidemiological data on HPV infections and the clinical burden of HPV-related diseases among PWH. The burden varied by geographical region, age, sex, and sexual orientation. Compared to people without HIV (PWoH), PWH had higher prevalence and incidence of HPV infection and HPV-related diseases. Among PWH, the prevalence of anal HPV infection ranged between 44% and 83%; men had a higher prevalence and incidence of anogenital warts than women. The incidence of anal HPV infection was over two-fold greater among transgender women with HIV and men who have sex with men with HIV than among their respective counterparts without HIV. Incident HPV-related anal cancer was up to two-fold higher among PWH than PWoH, and incident cervical cancer was up to six times higher among women with HIV than those without. The most prevalent high-risk (hr) HPV genotypes with HPV-related disease were vaccine genotype HPV16/18/52/58. HPV35 was one of the most prevalent genotypes with anal or cervical HPV infection among PWH of African descent. PWH also have a higher burden of concurrent HPV infections and HPV-related diseases. This study calls for strengthening appropriate HPV vaccine delivery and increasing vaccine uptake among this high-risk group, potentially by integrating HPV vaccination with routine HIV care.

Prevalence and risk factors for high-risk human papillomavirus infection among women from three southern geopolitical zones of Nigeria

Introduction

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a risk factor for cervical cancer, the fourth most common cancer among women globally. Its burden is the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, with over 90% mortality. Interventions may fail without evidence-based data on stratified prevalence and risk factors among most at-risk women across Nigeria.

Methods

A cross-sectional comparative study, with participants recruited from the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research's Clinics, NGO outreaches, a cancer screening centre and a university teaching hospital. Questionnaires were self-administered. Trained medics performed sampling at healthcare facilities, and self-sampling was used at outreaches.

Results

Nine hundred eighty-five study participants were recruited. About 37% and 27% of the women knew about HPV and its vaccines, respectively, but only 6% confirmed vaccination with HPV vaccines. HPV prevalence was highest among women with unknown marital status (35.9%), single women (33.8%), widowed/divorced/separated women (30.3%), and married/cohabiting women (19.6%). HPV infection was significantly higher among women who take alcohol (odds=1.7 [95% CI: 1.2-2.4]) and women who smoke (odds=2.6 [95% CI: 1.4 - 4.6]. HPV strains detected included HPV16 (1.3%), HPV18 (1.5%), Low Risk (0.2%) and Other High-Risk groups (19.7%).

Conclusion

The inverse relationship between prevalence and education suggests interventions improving awareness and prevention would be impactful. Such interventions could also target HIV-positive women, women presenting with sexually-transmitted infections, who smoke and frequently drink alcohol.

The pattern of human papillomavirus infection and genotypes among Nigerian women from 1999 to 2019: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

There are no robust national prevalence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in Nigerian women despite the high burden of cervical cancer morbidity and mortality.

THE OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

This study aims to determine the pooled prevalence and risk factors of genital HPV infection in Nigeria through a systemic review protocol.

METHODS

Databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and AJOL were searched between 10 April to 28 July 2020. HPV studies on Nigerian females and published from April 1999 to March 2019 were included. GRADE was used to assess the quality of evidence.

RESULTS

The pooled prevalence of cervical HPV was 20.65% (95%CI: 19.7-21.7). Genotypes 31 (70.8%), 35 (69.9%) and 16 (52.9%) were the most predominant HPV in circulation. Of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, northeast had the highest pooled prevalence of HPV infection (48.1%), while the least was in the north-west (6.8%). After multivariate logistic regression, duration (years) of sexual exposure (OR = 3.24, 95%CI: 1.78-9.23]), history of other malignancies (OR = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.03-2.97]), history of sexually transmitted infection (OR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.31-3.55]), coital frequency per week (OR = 5.11, 95%CI: 3.86-14.29), the status of circumcision of the sexual partner (OR = 2.71, 95%CI: 1.62-9.05), and marital status (OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.16-4.72), were significant risk factors of HPV infection (p < 0.05). Irregular menstruation, post-coital bleeding and abdominal vaginal discharge were significantly associated with HPV infection (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

HPV prevalence is high in Nigeria and was significantly associated with several associated risk factors. Rapid screening for high-risk HPV genotypes is recommended and multivalent HPV vaccines should be considered for women.

Prevalence of high-risk HPV genotypes in sub-Saharan Africa according to HIV status: a 20-year systematic review

OBJECTIVES

This review assessed the rate of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among women living in sub-Saharan Africa. It also determined the prevalence of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive (HIV+) and seronegative (HIV-) women in sub-Saharan Africa, pre-2010 and post-2010.

METHODS

In this systematic review, Google Scholar, PubMed Central, and Embase were searched to identify cohort and case-control studies that investigated the relationship between HIV and HPV infection. The database searches yielded 17 studies published between 1999 and 2018.

RESULTS

In the general population, the prevalence of any HPV/multiple HPV infections was higher among HIV+ (53.6/22.6%) than among HIV- women (26.5/7.3%) with odds ratios of 3.22 and 3.71, respectively (95% confidence interval, 3.00 to 3.42 and 2.39 to 5.75, p<0.001). The prevalent HPV genotypes among HIV+ and HIV- women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer (ICC) were HPV-16/18 and HPV-45. The prevalence of HPV-16, HPV-18, and HPV-45 was lower in 1999-2010 (3.8, 1.7, and 0.8%, respectively) than in 2011-2018 (19.1, 6.0, and 3.6%, respectively). Among women diagnosed with ICC, HIV+ women had a higher prevalence of HPV-56, HPV-31, and HPV-51 (7.3, 5.3, and 3.3%, respectively) than HIV- women (1.3, 2.2, and 0.4%, p<0.001, p=0.050, and p=0.013, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of HPV infection, multiple HPV infections, and non-vaccine HPV types were higher among HIV+ women than among HIV- women in sub-Saharan Africa. Although HIV infection influences the distribution of HPV types, this study suggests that cervical cancer incidence in sub-Saharan Africa is primarily driven by the prevalence of vaccine hrHPVs, especially HPV-16 and HPV-18.

Prevalence and Type Distribution of Human Papillomavirus Recovered from the Uterine Cervix of Nigerian Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Infection with an oncogenic type of human papillomavirus is a prerequisite for the development of precancerous cervical lesions and its subsequent progression to cervical cancer. With an alarming increase in the detection of other suspicious papillomavirus genotypes in both healthy and women with cervical lesions, there is a need for comprehensive data on cervical papillomavirus infection to address cervical cancer and other associated disease burden, especially in Sub-Sarahan Africa, where the bulk of the problem exists. The present study was conducted to develop comprehensive data on the prevalence and circulating genotypes of human papillomavirus in various risk categories in Nigeria. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed publications on cervical papillomavirus infection were performed. Relevant data were extracted from eligible studies published in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar, from inception to July 31, 2019. The random-effect model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence. We identified 327 potential studies and pooled data from 18 studies, involving 5697 women aged 15-86 years. Results: The overall pooled prevalence of cervical papillomavirus infection was 42% (95%CI: 30-54%) in the general population and 37% (95%CI: 25-50%) among women living with HIV/AIDS, with the predominance of genotypes 16, 18, 31, 35, 52, 58 and 45. The highest prevalence was observed in teenagers and young adults and the second peak in women 50 years and above. Conclusion: The prevalence of cervical human papillomavirus infection is cumulatively high in Nigeria and HIV is a strong co-factor. We, therefore, strongly recommend the co-screening of human papillomavirus and cervical cancer and integration of the intervention strategy into the existing HIV-care guideline in Nigeria.

Cervical Dysplasia, Infection, and Phylogeny of Human Papillomavirus in HIV-Infected and HIV-Uninfected Women at a Reproductive Health Clinic in Nairobi, Kenya

High risk human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections ultimately cause cervical cancer. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected women often present with multiple high-risk HPV infections and are thus at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer. However, information on the circulating high-risk HPV genotypes in Kenya in both HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women is still scanty. This study is aimed at determining the phylogeny and the HPV genotypes in women with respect to their HIV status and at correlating this with cytology results. This study was carried out among women attending the Reproductive Health Clinic at Kenyatta National Hospital, a referral hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. A cross-sectional study recruited a total of 217 women aged 18 to 50 years. Paired blood and cervical samples were obtained from consenting participants. Blood was used for serological HIV screening while cervical smears were used for cytology followed by HPV DNA extraction, HPV DNA PCR amplification, and phylogenetic analysis. Out of 217 participants, 29 (13.4%) were HIV seropositive, while 68 (31.3%) were positive for HPV DNA. Eight (3.7%) of the participants had abnormal cervical cytology. High-risk HPV 16 was the most prevalent followed by HPV 81, 73, 35, and 52. One participant had cervical cancer, was HIV infected, and had multiple high-risk infections with HPV 26, 35, and 58. HPV 16, 6, and 81 had two variants each. HPV 16 in this study clustered with HPV from Iran and Africa. This study shows the circulation of other HPV 35, 52, 73, 81, 31, 51, 45, 58, and 26 in the Kenyan population that play important roles in cancer etiology but are not included in the HPV vaccine. Data from this study could inform vaccination strategies. Additionally, this data will be useful in future epidemiological studies of HPV in Nairobi as the introduction or development of new variants can be detected.