Prevalence and Distribution of HPV Genotypes in Patients With Genital Warts: A Cross-Sectional Study From South of Iran

Abstract

Background and Aims

Human papillomavirus (HPV), the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection, causes genital warts primarily through low-risk genotypes. However, the presence of high-risk genotypes highlights the need for genotype-specific surveillance to guide clinical management and prevention strategies.

Methods

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence and distribution of HPV genotypes among patients diagnosed with genital warts at Shahid Faghihi Hospital in Shiraz, Iran, from 2017 to 2024. HPV genotyping was performed using PCR, and statistical analyses were used to evaluate associations between genotypes, sex, and age groups.

Results

The study included 291 patients, predominantly female (85.2%) and aged 20–34 years (58.08%). Low-risk HPV genotypes accounted for 91.35% of cases, while high-risk genotypes HPV-16 and HPV-18 were detected in 6.92% and 1.73% of cases, respectively. A significant association was observed between sex and genotype distribution (p = 0.003), with high-risk genotypes more prevalent in males (18.6%) than females (6.8%). No significant differences were found across age groups.

Conclusion

Low-risk HPV genotypes were most common in genital warts (91.35%), and HPV genotype distribution was significantly different between female and male patients. These findings emphasize the need for HPV vaccination programs and routine genotyping to guide clinical management in Iran's population.