# Clinical epidemiology and associations between HPV infection and vaginal infections in Jinan, China: a cross-sectional analysis

## TL;DR

This study examines the relationship between HPV infection and various vaginal infections in women from Jinan, China, finding that certain HPV types are linked to higher risks of specific infections.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the associations between specific high-risk HPV genotypes and specific vaginal infections in a large population sample.

## Key findings

- HPV infection rate was 21.84%, with high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) at 84.32%.
- BV, AV, and TV infections were associated with increased HPV infection risk.
- Certain HR-HPV genotypes like HPV45, HPV52, and HPV68 showed elevated correlations with specific vaginal infections.

## Abstract

As the principal cause of cervical cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is linked to vaginal infections such as bacterial vaginosis (BV), vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), aerobic vaginitis (AV), and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV); however, the exact relationship remains controversial.

In this study, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of 10,104 women in Jinan, China, to establish a detailed association between HPV and vaginal infections.

Our analysis showed that the HPV infection rate in Jinan was 21.84% of which the high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection rate was 84.32%. Although HR-HPV, low-risk HPV, BV, VVC, and TV prevalence rates across seasons were not statistically significant, we discerned significance for AV. In addition, while there was no difference between the prevalence of HPV and VVC, women with BV, AV, TV, or any vaginal infection manifested a higher risk of HPV infection. As for HR-HPV, our results showed statistically significant differences in HR-HPV infection rates between patients with BV, AV, TV, or any type of vaginal infection and the control group; however, VVC cases and cases without VVC did not differ. Furthermore, our correlation analysis among different HR-HPV genotypes and vaginal infections revealed an elevated incidence of BV in individuals with HPV45, HPV51, HPV52, HPV58, HPV66, and HPV68. AV exhibited an elevated infection rate in women with HPV16, HPV33, and HPV68; while TV demonstrated an increased infection risk in women with HPV52.

We hereby explored the complex relationship between HPV infection and vaginal infections and provided information on early-detection, preventive, and therapeutic strategies.