69 Screening and monitoring of human papillomavirus seroprevalence: a 5-year population-based study

Introduction/Background Objective To estimate the seroprevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV) among Saudi women and assess the 5-year kinetics of HPV serological profiles. Methodology A two-phase, population-based study, combining a cross-sectional and cohort designs, was conducted among 5360 ever-married women aged 30–65 from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between 2013 and 2018. Participants were registered through a designated screening program and screened using the HC2 HPV(hr) method. Women testing positive for HPV underwent a one-year follow-up to estimate the seronegativation rate, while those testing negative were followed up after five years for seropositivation. Sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with seropositivity and seronegativation were analyzed. Results The mean age and marriage duration were 44.3 and 22.6 years respectively, and the median parity was 4. The baseline seroprevalence stood at 4.7%. One year post-screening, the seronegativation rate was 84.3%. After 5 years, the seropositivation rate among initially negative women was 0.2%, leading to an all-time seroprevalence of 5.0%. The resulting incidence rate was estimated at 47 per 100,000 person-year. Parity emerged as the sole independent factor for seropositivity, exhibiting a protective effect with an odds ratio of 0.93 (95% CI: 0.8 – 0.99). Conclusion The seroprevalence and seroincidence of HPV in Saudi women are notably low, suggesting a gradual progression of the epidemic locally. The study highlights a generational effect, Disclosures None.