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HPV infection high in men residing in Brazil, Mexico, US
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New findings indicate that half of the population of men aged 18 to 70 years residing in Brazil, Mexico and the US are infected with genital human papillomavirus. Researchers for the Human Papillomavirus Infection in Men study said these findings may aid in the development of international cost-effectiveness models for human papillomavirus vaccination in men.
Although previous research have indicated that the risk for HPV decreases with increasing age in women, the natural history of HPV infection in men is currently unknown.
For the HPV Infection in Men (HIM) study, Anna R. Giuliano, PhD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Fla., and colleagues examined the incidence and clearance for type-specific genital HPV infection and assessed the associated risk factors in 1,159 men aged 18 to 70 years.
Men were HIV-negative, had no reported history of cancer and resided in Brazil, Mexico or the US. Study participants were followed for a median of 27.5 months and were assessed every 6 months.
There were 38.4 new genital HPV infections per 1,000 person-months (95% CI, 34.3-43). For any oncogenic HPV infection, the median duration of infection was 7.52 months (95% CI, 6.8-8.61) and 12.19 months for HPV type 16 (95% CI, 7.16-18.17).
Men who had at least 50 female sex partners were 2.4 times more likely to have an oncogenic HPV infection vs. men who had only one female partner. Moreover, men who had at least three male anal-sex partners were 2.57 times more likely to have an oncogenic HPV infection vs. men with no anal-sex partners.
Men were less likely to clear HPV infection if they resided in Brazil (95% CI, 0.56-0.91) and Mexico (95% CI, 0.57-0.94) and had a high number of lifetime female partners vs. men residing in the US. Yet, HPV clearance increased with increasing age (95% CI, 1.01-1.03).
“The results bring to light important new information and draw attention to differences between the natural histories of male and female HPV infections and the need for further studies to better define HPV transmission, progression to disease and epithelial sites in men,” Joseph Monsonego, MD, of the department of colposcopy at the Institute of the Cervix in Paris, wrote in an accompanying editorial. “The HIM data on HPV incidence and clearance should be exploited to elaborate prevention guidance and to minimize transmission and to aid management and associated concerns for couples. Because most HPV infections in men are asymptomatic, men are not aware of the need to use condoms, which underlines the importance of male HPV vaccination.”
For more information:
Giuliano A. Lancet. 2011;doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62342-2.
- Monsonego J. Lancet. 2011;doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60277-8.
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