ArticleBMC women's health2026
Role of COVID-19 in the persistence of cervical high-risk human papillomavirus: a non-randomized retrospective study.
Article in BMC women's health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- The Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination on HR-HPV Persistence and Cervical Cytology Outcomes: A Retrospective Study.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCOVID-19 related immune dysregulation including impaired interferon signaling, reduced cytotoxic T-cell activity, and sustained inflammatory imbalance may contribute not only to delayed screening but also to true biological persistence of high-risk HPV (HR-HPV). This study investigated whether prior COVID-19 infection influences cervical HR-HPV persistence and associated cytological abnormalities.
methodsIn this retrospective study, 738 h-HPV positive women without baseline high-grade lesions or immunocompromising conditions were included. The study group comprised 372 women with PCR confirmed symptomatic COVID-19, while those without confirmed infection served as controls. Patients with prior excisional cervical procedures, other STDs, pregnancy, or incomplete follow-up data were excluded. HR-HPV DNA and cervical cytology were assessed at standardized follow-ups at at mean intervals of approximately 10 and 19 months, and persistence rates were compared.
resultsCervical HR-HPV persistence was significantly higher in COVID-19 positive patients at both follow-up visits (p = 0.007 and p = 0.021). Persistence of HPV 16 was also significantly higher in the COVID-19 positive group (p = 0.021), whereas HPV 18 persistence did not differ between groups (p = 0.851). Cervical cytology and colposcopy findings were comparable between groups at both visits (p = 0.873, p = 0.606, and p = 0.927, p = 0.751). Importantly, after adjusting for potential confounders including age, smoking status, baseline cytology, and COVID-19 vaccination, a history of COVID-19 infection remained a significant independent risk factor for HR-HPV persistence (aOR: 1.81, p < 0.001).
conclusionPrior COVID-19 infection was associated with increased HR-HPV persistence, particularly HPV 16. If confirmed by larger prospective studies, these findings may warrant intensified follow-up protocols for women with concurrent HR-HPV positivity and a history of COVID-19 infection. Prospective immunologic studies are additionally required to clarify how COVID-19 related immune alterations may influence HPV clearance.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.