Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus infections among women undergoing HPV testing during 2019–2024 in Xi’an, China

Abstract Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) persistent infection is the primary cause of cervical cancer, with significant regional variations in infection prevalence and genotype distribution. This study aimed to clarify the epidemiological characteristics of HPV infection among women in Xi’an from April 2019 to December 2024, and to provide targeted evidence for local cervical cancer screening and prevention strategies. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 33,316 women (aged ≥ 20 years) who underwent HPV testing at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University during the study period, with repeated tests from the same individual excluded. PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization was used to detect 28 HPV genotypes. The chi-square test was applied for intergroup comparison of infection rates, with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0, and graphs were generated with GraphPad Prism 9.0. Results The overall HPV positivity rate was 13.96% (4,650/33,316), with single-type infections accounting for 74.67% (3,472/4,650) and multiple-type infections for 25.33% (1,178/4,650). The top three prevalent genotypes were HPV52 (18.00%), HPV53 (12.19%), and HPV16 (9.23%). Significant differences in HPV infection rates were observed among health examination population (12.67%), inpatients (20.85%) and outpatients (37.68%) ( P < 0.001), as well as across different age groups ( P < 0.001), with the highest infection rate in the 61–70 years group. The overall HPV infection rate showed a fluctuating upward trend from 2019 (11.52%) to 2024 (19.94%), with high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection rate increasing from 7.72% to 15.58% over the same period. Conclusions Single-type HPV infection is the main type of infection among women in Xi’an, with HPV52, HPV53 and HPV16 being the dominant genotypes. Infection rates vary significantly by patient source and age, with older women aged 61–70 years at the highest risk of infection. These findings highlight the need to optimize local cervical cancer screening strategies, strengthen HPV vaccination for young women, and conduct regular regional HPV epidemiological surveillance.