RESUMO
Cervical cancer (CC) is the second leading cause of death from malignancy in women in Ecuador. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main causative agent of CC. Although several studies have been conducted on HPV detection in Ecuador, there are limited data on indigenous women. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the prevalence of HPV and associated factors in women from the indigenous communities of Quilloac, Saraguro and Sevilla Don Bosco. The study included 396 sexually active women belonging to the aforementioned ethnicities. A validated questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data, and real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests were used to detect HPV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). These communities are located in the southern region of Ecuador and face geographical and cultural barriers to accessing health services. The results showed that 28.35% of women tested positive for both types of HPV, 23.48% for high-risk (HR) HPV, and 10.35% for low-risk (LR) HPV. Statistically significant associations were found between HR HPV and having more than three sexual partners (OR 1.99, CI 1.03-3.85) and Chlamydia trachomatis infection (OR 2.54, CI 1.08-5.99). This study suggests that HPV infection and other sexually transmitted pathogens are common among indigenous women, highlighting the need for control measures and timely diagnosis in this population.
RESUMO
OBJETIVO: Determinar la prevalencia de los genotipos del papiloma virus humano en muestras cérvico-uterinas y su relación con los factores de riesgo en mujeres con vida sexual activa de la ciudad de Cuenca. METODOLOGÍA: Estudio observacional de tipo transversal con una muestra de 500 mujeres del cantón Cuenca de los Hospitales Monte Sinai y del Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social (IESS). Los exámenes se realizaron en el laboratorio de Biología Molecular BIONCOGEN de la ciudad de Cuenca y se utilizó la técnica de PCR en Tiempo Real más el examen de Papanicolaou. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia del VPH fue de 78.4% y el genotipo más frecuente es el HPV 16 con el 26,2%. El NIC I con el 27% constituye la patología ginecológica más frecuente. CONCLUSIÓN: Los genotipos 16 /18 representan los tipos de VPH que están relacionados directa-mente con el desarrollo de cáncer cérvico uterino ya que al correlacionar con la citología (Papani-colau) se demuestra que la célula sufre cambios morfológicos (coilocitosis).
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of hu-man papilloma virus genotypes in cervical-uterine samples and their relation to risk factors in women with active sex life in Cuenca. METHODOLOGY: It is a cross-sectional observatio-nal study with a sample of 500 women from Cuen-ca who were attended in the Monte Sinai Hospi-tal and the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security (IESS). The exams were carried out in the BIONCO-GEN Molecular Biology Laboratory which is loca-ted in Cuenca. The Real Time PCR technique plus the Pap examination were used. RESULTS: The prevalence of HPV was 78.4 % and the most frequent genotype was the HPV 16 with 26.2 %. On the other hand, the CIN I with 27% is the most frequent gynecological pathology. CONCLUSION: The genotypes 16/18 represent the types of HPV that are directly related to the de-velopment of cervical cancer because when it is correlated with cytology (Pap) it is demonstrated that the cell undergoes morphological changes (koilocytosis).Keywords: Genotype, Human papillomavirus 16, Human papillomavirus 18, Clinical Laboratory Te-chniques, PCR; Risk factors; Monte Sinai Hospital, Hospital of the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Secu-rity, Cuenca-Ecuador.
