Cervical human papillomavirus infection in accra, Ghana

Background: This study was aimed at estimating the human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and its determinants among a sample of Ghanaian women.Design: Cross-sectional observational study.Setting: Gynaecology outpatient clinic of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana; the largest tertiary care gynaecology outpatient clinic in Ghana.Participants: Convenient sample of 75 consentingwomen visiting the clinic.Methods: Information was obtained through personal interviews using structured questionnaire, Pap smears obtained, and laboratory testing of cervical exfoliated cells was performed. HPV DNA was detected using aGP5+/6+ polymerase chain reaction assay. These data were analyzed using both univariate and bivariate techniques.Results: The mean age of participants was 33.3 years (standard deviation, 9.2) and the percentage of lifetime monogamy was 21.3%. The crude HPV DNA prevalence was 10.7%. Unlike most populations studied sofar, HPV prevalence was high not only among young women, but also in middle and old age. Independent HPV determinants were being illiterate (prevalence odds ratio [POR], 13.9; 95% confidence interval[95%CI], 1.9-100) and reporting more than three lifetime sexual partners (POR, 4.6; 95% CI, 1.0-22.2).Conclusions: The study indicates a high crude prevalence of HPV in a largely polygamous Ghanaian population with a high crude prevalence in older age groups, which may be a distinctive feature of polygamouspopulations where HPV transmission continues into middle age and cervical cancer incidence is very high