Objective: We investigated the prevalence of the human Papillomavirus (HPV) and its genotypes in women with normal cervical cytology in the state of Paraná, Brazil, and also epidemiological characteristics.
Methods: The enrolled patients were seen at six primary health-care units in Paiçandú City, Paraná. Through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) techniques, 40 HPV genotypes were found, including 15 high risk, 3 undetermined risk and 22 low risk. Socio-demographic characteristics and sexual behavior were also recorded by interviews based on a structured questionnaire completed at the time of enrollment.
Results: Among 418 patients examined, HPV was detected in 6.7 %, mainly in women aged <25 years. The overall prevalence of high-risk, low-risk and undetermined-risk HPV types was 42.9, 45.7, and 11.7 %, respectively. HPV-16 was the most common type detected (14.3 %), followed by types 66 (11.4 %) and 31 and 70 (8.6 % each). Detection of HPV DNA was positively associated with the number of sexual partners within the previous 12 months (p < 0.031; OR = 5.4; CI = 0.98-29.8).
Conclusion: When considering the lack of studies in Paraná on women with normal cytology, the results of this study will improve estimates of HPV DNA populations, and provide baseline values against which the impact of vaccination can be assessed in the future.