Prevalence of HPV Infection among Greek Women attending a Gynaecological Outpatient Clinic

Aim: Τhe aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and distribution of HPV in cervical smears from a sample of Greek women attending a gynaecological outpatient clinic, and to investigate possible determinants of the infection. Method: A total of 225 women were studied, all of whom attended for a regular gynaecological check at a gynaecological outpatient clinic during the period October 2007 to May 2008. Basic demographic information, sociodemographic characteristics and a sexual behaviour history were also recorded. Statistical analysis was preformed using programmes available in the SPSS statistical package (SPSS 15.0,). Results: HPV infection was detected in 22.7% of the study population. The percentage of women newly diagnosed with HPV infection was 17.3%. HPV infection was correlated positively with alcohol consumption (OR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.04-4.63, p=0.04) and the number of sexual partners (OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.44-3.25, p<0.001), and negatively with age (OR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.87-0.99, p=0.03) and monthly income (OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.44-0.89, p=0.01). Conclusions: The prevalence of HPV in women attending a gynaecological outpatient clinic is high. The number of sexual partners and alcohol consumption were the most significant risk factors for HPV infection, followed by younger age and lower income.