Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Proportion and Genotype Distribution among Reproductive age Women of a Hilly District of Nepal

Abstract

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a leading cause of cervical cancer, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with limited access to preventive services. This study was aimed to assess high-risk HPV prevalence and genotype distribution among reproductive-age women in Palpa district of Nepal and compare them with demographic and clinical data.
Methods: A small, community based, non-probability convenience sampling approach was used for data collection in which cervical swabs were collected from 2,331 women aged 20 to 45 years from Rampur and Rambha municipalities of Palpa district, who attended the health camps organized from 7th February 2025 to 7th October 2025, after obtaining ethical approval from the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), Nepal. Out of 2,331 cervical swab samples, 2,024 swab samples were only processed due to pre-analytical errors for HPV DNA detection using the Nucleic Acid Extraction Kit and genotypes identified through RT-PCR using the Human Papillomavirus Nucleic Acid Amplification Test Kit.
Results: HPV positivity among participants were found to be 3.5%. Other HPV genotype (non 16/18) were most frequently observed among HPV positive participant 35(49.3%), followed by HPV 16 genotype (29.5%) and HPV 18 (16.9%). The women between 35–40 years age group had the highest proportion of HPV positive cases (36 cases). The logistic regression between HPV infection and the presence of cervical lesions yielded an odds ratio of 2.999, indicating that women with cervical lesions were nearly three times more likely to have HPV infection than those without lesions.
Conclusions: The study showed low HPV positive proportion rate, with non-16/18 genotypes predominating. Women aged 35–40 years had the highest HPV positivity, and HPV infection was found to be more common among women with cervical lesions.
Keywords: Cervical swabs; genotypes; High risk- HPV; real time PCR.