Prevalence of oral HPV among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Pune, India

Background: People living with HIV (PLHIV) are at an increased risk of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related head and neck cancers (HNCs). However, there is little data on the prevalence of oral HPV among PLHIV in India, limiting the planning of oral HPV preventive strategies. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from an oral cancer screening study conducted at the antiretroviral therapy (ART) centre of Byramjee-Jeejeebhoy Government Medical College-Sassoon General Hospitals (BJGMC-SGH). PLHIV ≥21 years of age with no prior history of HNCs were enrolled. We determined the prevalence of high-risk oncogenic HPV (hrHPV) and low-risk non-oncogenic HPV (lrHPV) using real-time PCR and Next-Generation Sequencing. We used multinomial logistic regression to determine the prevalence ratios (PRs) of different sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioural predictors with hrHPV and lrHPV. Multivariable models were adjusted for age, sex, CD4 count and duration on ART. Results: Of the 582 PLHIV enrolled, the median age was 40 years (IQR: 34–46) and 54% were male. More than a fourth (25.8%) had multiple sexual partners and 11% had given oral sex. Median CD4 counts were 510 cells/mm3 (IQR: 338–700). The prevalence of hrHPV was 4.5% and lrHPV was 3.4%. Of those with hrHPV, 77% had HPV16. There were no significant associations with any predictors for both lrHPV and hrHPV in adjusted analyses. Conclusions: We found the prevalence of any oral HPV (hrHPV and lrHPV) to be 7.9% among PLHIV in India. Larger studies are required to better understand risk factors for oral HPV among Indian PLHIV.