Prevalence and risk factors of high-risk cervical HPV infections among women attending Debre Tabor hospital family planning and gynecology clinic, Northcentral Ethiopia

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a frequent sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer in women. Early detection could slow the spread of HPV infection and its eventual development into cervical cancer. Furthermore, there are few statistics available on the prevalence of cervical cancer and HPV in Ethiopia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of high-risk cervical human papillomavirus infections and the factors associated with them among women who visited the family planning and gynecology clinic at Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Northcentral Ethiopia. A health facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among women attending the gynecology and family planning clinic from October 2022 to May, 2023. After obtaining written informed consent from each participant woman, the data on sociodemographic and clinical factors were collected by a trained nurse through face-to-face interviews using a pretested questionnaire. Clinicians collected cervical swabs from participants, which were then analyzed by laboratory technologists using the OncoE6™ Cervical Test (Arbor Vita Corporation, Fremont, CA, USA) a lateral flow assay coated with high-affinity monoclonal antibodies designed to detect E6 oncoproteins specific to high-risk HPV types 16 and 18. In addition, clinicians conducted the Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) test, a procedure in which diluted acetic acid is applied to the cervix; areas with abnormal epithelial cells temporarily turn white, allowing for visual identification of potential lesions. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 21, using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models, with a p value of ≤ 0.05 indicating statistical significance. There were 335 study participants during the course of the study. The mean age of the study participants in this study was 36.66 ± 7.92 years. Furthermore, the overall prevalence of HPV (HPV16 and/or 18) was 13.4%, with a 95% CI of 10.1%-17.3%. Fifty-three individuals (15.8%) out of the total study participants tested positive for the VIA. Moreover, the overall prevalence of HPV type 16, HPV18, and HPV16 and 18 coinfections was 8.66%, 7.76%, and 2.99%, respectively. A previous history of STIs (AOR = 14.42, 95% CI = 6.31-32.99, P = 0.001), HIV infection (AOR = 3.53, 95% CI = 1.46-8.54, P = 0.005) and age between 40 and 49 years (AOR = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.04-0.72, P = 0.016) were significantly associated with human papillomavirus infection. The results of the current study showed a significant prevalence of HPV infection and a high VIA positive rate. This study also demonstrated that age, HIV infection, and a history of STIs were significantly associated predictors of HPV infection. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of early screening, education, and prevention efforts to reduce the prevalence of HPV infections and associated diseases among women in the study area.