Prevalence and Correlation between High-Risk HPV Genotypes and Pap Smear Findings in Bahrain: A Retrospective Approach

Abstract

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is currently the most common pathogen responsible for cervical cancer (CC), a major cause of cancer-related deaths in women. This study aimed to estimate the current HPV prevalence in Bahrain and to determine the association of high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotypes with cytological findings, age, and clinical history of the patients. Methods and Results: Our study used a retrospective approach. Convenience sampling was used to gather 100 cases of HPV-positive women with abnormal and normal Pap smear findings from January 2017 to April 2023 in the Cytology Department at King Hamad University Hospital. Out of 100 HR-HPV positive cases, non-16/18/45 HR-HPV was found in 62%, and 73% had abnormal Pap smear findings. Among Pap smear findings, ASC-US/ASC-H (P=0.038) and LSIL/HSIL(P=0.017) were significantly associated with HR-HPV genotypes. ASC-US was found to be more frequently associated with HPV16+non-16/18/45 HR-HRV and LSIL with HPV18/45+non-16/18/45 HR-HRV. Most HR-HPV cases (59%) were aged ≤40 years, 25% - from 41 to 50 years old, while only 16% were >50. The age group ≤40 had the highest peak with non-16/18/45 HR-HPV genotype (35%) and HPV16 (19%). The predominant genotypes for age groups 41-50 and >50 were non-16/18/45 HR-HPV types (19% and 8%, respectively). Conclusion: In Bahrain, non-16/18/45 HR-HPV infection is becoming more prevalent, with ASC-US being the most common abnormal Pap finding and the highest HPV infection in women aged 40 years or younger. Based on our findings, we recommend effective screening and vaccine programs for women aged 40 years and younger, as early detection can lower infection rates and improve recovery.

Keywords

• hr-hpv
• cervical cancer
• pap smear
• asc-us