“U” shape of age-specific prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus infection in women attending hospitals in Shanghai, China

Abstract Objective The purpose of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus infection and the viral load in different age groups, to describe the distribution of human papillomavirus prevalence in women enrolled in two hospitals. Study design We retrospectively investigated 17,148 cases undergoing hybrid capture II between January 2005 and February 2007. The prevalence of human papillomavirus infection and the level of viral load were estimated in different age groups to describe the distribution in the cases. Results Human papillomavirus was detected in 5173 of 17,148 women (30.2%) aged 17–79 years. The highest prevalence appeared in the ≤20-year age group (45.2%). After age 20, the prevalence declined rapidly and then ascended slowly from 28.5% in the 21–30-year age group to 38.0% in the ≥61-year group. The mean viral load was 294.12 ± 511.66 relative light units/positive control in total human papillomavirus positive cases. The viral load of the 21–30-year age group was the lowest (271.99 ± 499.24 relative light units/positive control) and the highest was found in the ≥61-year interval (560.30 ± 672.87 relative light units/positive control). No significant correlation was found between viral load and the severity of cervical lesions. Conclusions Our study showed a “U” shape of age-specific prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus infection occurring in women attending hospitals in Shanghai, China, similar to worldwide figures.