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HPV prevalence down among young women as vaccination increases
The prevalence of vaccine-type HPV genotypes fell significantly from 2009 to 2012 as vaccination rates among young women increased, according to an analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
“A report from the CDC has shown that within 6 years of the introduction of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine, there has been a 64% decrease in the prevalence of vaccine-type HPVs among females 14 to 19 years old (from 11.5% to 4.3%) and a 34% decrease among females 20 to 24 years old (from 18.5% to 12.1%),” Abbey B. Berenson, MD, PhD, of the center for interdisciplinary research in women’s health and the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, and colleagues wrote. “However, it is not clear how much of this change recently occurred. This is an important question because between 2009 and 2012, HPV vaccine initiation rates for young women 19 to 26 years of age doubled from 17.1% in 2009 to 34.5% in 2012.”
Researchers reviewed data from NHANES, which interviewed a nationally representative sample of women aged 18 to 59 years and analyzed self-collected vaginal swabs. Berenson and colleagues limited their analysis to usable samples from the 2009-2010 (n = 1,952) and 2011-2012 (n = 1,764) cycles of the survey.
The researchers reported no significant difference in HPV prevalence between the two cycles of the survey (prevalence ratio, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.7-1.08). However, when Berenson and colleagues separately examined women in the age group recommended for vaccination (18 to 26 years), they reported that vaccine-type HPV fell roughly 45%, dropping from 15.4% in the 2009-2010 group to 8.5% in the 2011-2012 group (prevalence ratio, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.28-0.92). The prevalence of high-risk HPV genotypes in the 2011-2012 group was less than half of that reported in the 2009-2010 group (6.5% vs. 13.1%; prevalence ratio, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.25-0.86).
The researchers noted that there were no significant differences associated with vaccination status, which Berenson and colleagues wrote could be attributed to herd immunity, under-reported vaccination status or changes in sexual behavior.
“This study adds to the small body of literature showing that the prevalence of vaccine-type HPVs is dropping rapidly in the U.S. This is highly encouraging and suggests that the prevalence of HPV-related diseases, including genital warts and precancerous cervical lesions, will markedly decrease over time, as has been reported in other countries with more advanced uptake of the HPV vaccine,” the researchers wrote. – by Andy Polhamus
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.