Human Papillomavirus types prevalence and their association with cervical dysplasia among HIV and non-HIV infected women attending reproductive health clinics in Eastern Kenya

BACKGROUND: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) causes over 99% of all cervical cancer globally. In 2019; it was responsible for 3,286 deaths in Kenya. Understanding the epidemiological distribution of HPV genotypes by cervical dysplasia and HIV infection is important in designing prevention strategy and management of cervical cancer. OBJECTIVE: To determine HPV genotypes prevalence and their distribution by cervical dysplasia, social-demographic and risk factors associated with cervical cancer among HIV-infected women aged 18–48 years seeking reproductive healthcare in Eastern Kenya. METHODS: Cervical specimens were obtained for cytology, HPV-genotyping, histology while social-demographic factors were collected using a questionnaire and analysed using Pearson chi-square test. RESULTS: 317 womencases: 161(50.8%); control 156(49.2%), mean age: 34.3, range 18–46 years were recruited. Thirteen HPV genotypes associated with cervical dysplasia were: CIN1{cases: HPV81[12(3.8%), HPV11[2(0.6%); control: HPV53 and HPV66[1(0.3%)}, CIN2 {cases: HPV11, HPV16, HPV661(0.3%), HPV816(1.9%) and single case1(0.3%) of HPV9, HPV11, HPV16, HPV44, HPV66, HPV81 HPV88, HPV53 and HPV58; control: HPV81[2(0.6%)} and invasive cancer {cases: HPV16[1(0.3%) and HPV81[3(0.9%); control: HPV16 and HPV66[1(0.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Cervical dysplasia was associated with more mixed-lr/hrHPV genotypes among HIV-infected than HIV-uninfected women. The finding adds to the pool of knowledge the epidemiological data required in determining the population at risk for cervical cancer.