Prevalence of human papillomavirus in women attending cervical screening in the UK and Ireland: New data from northern Ireland and a systematic review and meta‐analysis

There is substantial international variation in human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence; this study details the first report from Northern Ireland and additionally provides a systematic review and meta‐analysis pooling the prevalence of high‐risk (HR‐HPV) subtypes among women with normal cytology in the UK and Ireland. Between February and December 2009, routine liquid based cytology (LBC) samples were collected for HPV detection (Roche Cobas® 4800 [PCR]) among unselected women attending for cervical cytology testing. Four electronic databases, including MEDLINE, were then searched from their inception till April 2011. A random effects meta‐analysis was used to calculate a pooled HR‐HPV prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals (CI). 5,712 women, mean age 39 years (±SD 11.9 years; range 20–64 years), were included in the analysis, of which 5,068 (88.7%), 417 (7.3%) and 72 (1.3%) had normal, low, and high‐grade cytological findings, respectively. Crude HR‐HPV prevalence was 13.2% (95% CI, 12.7–13.7) among women with normal cytology and increased with cytological grade. In meta‐analysis the pooled HR‐HPV prevalence among those with normal cytology was 0.12 (95% CIs, 0.10–0.14; 21 studies) with the highest prevalence in younger women. HPV 16 and HPV 18 specific estimates were 0.03 (95% CI, 0.02–0.05) and 0.01 (95% CI, 0.01–0.02), respectively. The findings of this Northern Ireland study and meta‐analysis verify the prevalent nature of HPV infection among younger women. Reporting of the type‐specific prevalence of HPV infection is relevant for evaluating the impact of future HPV immunization initiatives, particularly against HR‐HPV types other than HPV 16 and 18. J. Med. Virol. 85:295–308, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.