Seroepidemiological Evaluation of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Types Among Married and Unmarried Iranian Women in Tehran, Iran

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a DNA virus that establishes productive infections only in keratinocytes of the skin or mucous membranes. This study aimed to determine the frequency of two high-risk genotypes of HPV among married and unmarried Iranian women. This cross-sectional population-based study consisted of two groups of women: non-married girls referred for premarital counseling, and married women referred for pregnancy diagnosis. Blood samples were evaluated serologically with the ELISA method for HPV types 16 and 18. A total of 177 women (89 single and 88 married) were tested for HPV strains. The frequency of HPV type 16 in single women was significantly higher than in married women (66.3% vs. 40.9%, P < 0.001). The relative frequency of HPV type 18 was also significantly higher in single women than in married women (62.9% vs. 47.7%, P < 0.001). Moreover, HPV type 16 and 18 positivity was significantly associated with higher education levels in single women compared to married women (P < 0.001). Classification of HPV-infected women according to age revealed that the frequency of HPV type 16 was significantly higher in single women aged 25 - 35 years compared to married women (P < 0.05). The results showed remarkable rates of high-risk HPV types (16 and 18) in the studied population, which can be a serious alert for public health. This result highlights the potential impact of prophylactic vaccines for future protection against high-risk HPV types in Iranian women.