Vaginal Infections of Albanian women Infected with HPV and their impact in intraepithelial cervical lesions evidenced by Pap test

BACKGROUND: Cervical cytology is the best single method for large screening of the population in identifying precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix. AIM: To estimate the frequency of human papillomavirus (HPV) positivity in a group of Albanian women, the prevalence of vaginal coinfections, and the relationship of coinfections with HPV, as well as their role in metaplasia or cervical intraepithelial lesions (CIN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 2075 vaginal smears were examined. The Papanicolaou stain was used for all slides. The New Bethesda System 2001 was used for the interpretations of the smears. Data analysis was completed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 19.0. RESULTS: Prevalence of HPV positivity was 43.9% with an average age of 35.48 ± 9.27 years. Candida coinfection resulted in 57.8% of HPV positive women with a significant relationship between them. Gardnerella coinfection resulted in 36 (23%), mixed flora in 34 (8%), and Trichomonas vaginalis in 50% of HPV positive woman. Among the women with positive HPV, 19% had CIN, 8% had metaplasia, and 1% had metaplasia and CIN; 9% of the women with HPV had CIN1 and one of the coinfections. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong relationship between CIN1 and HPV positivity as well as between CIN1 and coinfections. HPV infection is a major factor contributing to metaplasia, and bacterial coinfections in HPV positive women have a statistically significant impact in the development of metaplasia.