Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus among 15,224 gynecological outpatients in Xuzhou, China, during 2023–2025

ObjectiveThis study investigated HPV prevalence and genotype distribution among gynecological outpatients at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, aiming to inform region-specific cervical cancer prevention strategies.MethodsWe determined the HPV subtypes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analyzed the HPV prevalence, genotype distribution in 15,224 gynecological outpatients by age group and year.ResultsAmong the 15,224 outpatients, 4,884 (32.08%) tested positive for HPV, with single high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection being the predominant pattern (16.48%). The top five HR-HPV genotypes were HPV52 (5.58%), 16 (4.93%), 58 (4.49%), 53 (3.54%), and 56 (2.51%). The top three low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) genotypes were HPV42 (3.30%), 81 (2.16%), and 43 (1.76%). From 2023 to 2025, the overall HPV prevalence among this study population exhibited a significant increasing trend, rising from 27.57 to 36.63% (p(linear by linear) < 0.001). Overall HPV prevalence differed significantly across age groups (p < 0.001), exhibiting a bimodal distribution, with the highest rate in the ≤24 years group (42.30%), followed by the 55–64 years group (37.29%) and the ≥65 years group (36.43%), and the lowest in the 25–34 years group (29.05%). Across age groups, the top five HR-HPV genotypes varied slightly but consistently included HPV52, 16, 58, 53, and 56. For LR-HPV infections, the top three genotypes were HPV6, 42, and 11 in the ≤24 years group, whereas HPV42, 81, and 43 ranked as the top three in all other age groups.ConclusionThe prevalence of HPV infection among women attending gynecological outpatient clinics of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University is relatively high and has demonstrated an increasing trend over the study period. Adolescents and middle-aged and older women exhibit higher HPV prevalence. The predominant genotypes are HR-HPV52, 16, 58, 53, and 56, as well as LR-HPV42, 81, and 43. In addition to strengthening universal health education, the observed age-specific distribution suggests that young women and middle-aged and older women may be important target groups for future prevention strategies. Furthermore, the high prevalence of non-vaccine-covered genotypes (HPV53, 56, 42, 81, and 43) warrants continued surveillance and further investigation of their clinical significance, although these implications should be considered preliminary.