Almost one in three men over the age of 15 are infected with at least one genital human papillomavirus (HPV) type and one in five are infected with one or more of what are known as high risk, or oncogenic, HPV types.

 

This is according to a new study published today in The Lancet Global Health and released by the World Health Organization.

 

These estimates show that men frequently harbour genital HPV infections and emphasise the importance of incorporating men in efforts to control HPV infection and to reduce the incidence of HPV related disease in both men and women.

 

No symptoms

Most HPV infections cause no symptoms and clear without intervention, but certain types of HPV can lead to anogenital warts or cancer. HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women and each year more than 340,000 women die of cervical cancer related to HPV.  

 

In men, IARC (The International Agency for Research on Cancer) estimated that in 2018 there were more than 69,400 of cases of cancer caused by HPV.  HPV related cancers in men include penile, anal, oral and throat cancers.

 

Lancet findings show that HPV prevalence is high in men over the age of 15 years and support that sexually active men, regardless of age, are an important reservoir of HPV genital infection. 

 

Prevention strategies

These estimates emphasise the importance of incorporating men in comprehensive HPV prevention strategies to reduce HPV-related morbidity and mortality in men and ultimately achieve elimination of cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases.

 

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted viral infection worldwide, and previous research has shown that most sexually active men and women will acquire at least one genital HPV infection during their lives. 

 

There are more than 200 HPV types that can be transmitted sexually, and at least 12 types are oncogenic. The majority of HPV infections in men and women are asymptomatic, but they can lead to long-term sequelae and mortality. 

 

Cancer association

HPV infections are also associated with penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers, which are commonly linked to HPV type 16.6.  

 

The study results suggest that genital HPV prevalence is high in men and that prevalence remains high throughout heterosexual men's sexual lives. 

 

These results are consistent with men being a reservoir of HPV infection and emphasise the importance of incorporating men in efforts to control HPV infection and to reduce the incidence of HPV-related disease. Prevalence data are primarily from high-income countries. 

 

Additional epidemiological studies assessing the age-specific prevalence of HPV types in men from additional countries could contribute to impact monitoring efforts both for countries that have HPV vaccination programmes for girls and young women and for the increasing number of countries that are including boys in their vaccination programme.-- TradeArabia News Service