title: High-risk human papillomavirus in Galicia, Spain: prevalence and evaluation of the sample representativeness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prevalence of high-risk genotypes of the human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) in Galicia remained unknown before the introduction of the HPV vaccine. The objective of this study was to estimate this prevalence in non-vaccinated women when vaccination against HR-HPV started. Sample representativeness was also evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female volunteers aged 16-64 years, residents in Galicia, Spain, completed a questionnaire and provided biological samples for a virological study and for cytology. The sample was weighted; prevalence rates were estimated and are shown with 95% confidence intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Virological results were available for 1703 women. HR-HPV prevalence was 10.1%, decreasing notably at ages above 30 years. HPV-16 was the most frequent genotype and 3.6% of women were infected by more than one genotype. No adjustment was necessary to generalize the results of the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Galicia in 2009 there would be 96 400 women aged 16-64 years infected with HR-HPV. It is possible to estimate HR-HPV prevalence in a population starting from a volunteer sample.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Microbiology, Complejo Hospitalario de Pontevedra , Spain.
authors.forename: Matilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trigo-Daporta
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: García-Campello
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez-Ríos
authors.forename: Maria Isolina
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Santiago-Pérez
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Rodriguez
authors.forename: Genoveva
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guinarte
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Troncoso
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pardavila
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malvar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012306:Risk; D015229:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adult; human papilloma virus; prevalence; sexually transmitted diseases