Around a third of all men over the age of 15 are infected with at least one type of genital human papillomavirus (HPV), a study has found.
Moreover, one-in-five of these cases are high-risk, “oncogenic” cases that have the potential to lead to cancer, the researchers warned.
The majority of HPV in both men and women are asymptomatic — however, infection can lead to long-term symptoms and death.
In men, HPV tends to manifest in the form of anogenital warts, which help to increase HPV transmission rates.
Infection — particularly with HPV type 16, the most common type which accounts for five percent of all cases — is also associated with cancers of the anus, penis and throat.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, HPV caused 69,400 cases of cancer in men in 2018 alone.
HPV can also lead to cervical cancer, which is estimated to kill more than 340,000 women each year.
Dr Meg Doherty is the director of the World Health Organization’s Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programs.
She said: “This global study on the prevalence of genital HPV infection among men confirms how widespread HPV infection is.
“HPV infection with high-risk HPV types can cause genital warts and oral, penile and anal cancer in men.
“We must continue to look for opportunities to prevent HPV infection and to reduce the incidence of HPV-related disease in both men and women.”
In the study, the researchers — led by Dr Laia Bruni of the Catalan Institute of Oncology–IDIBELL — conducted a systematic review of existing studies into genital HPV infection in the general male population undertaken between 1995 and 2022.
The team found that HPV case numbers were high in young adults — reaching a maximum between 25 to 29 years of age — and slightly decreased thereafter.
On average, prevalences by region were found to be similar for Europe and Northern America; Sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean; and Australia and New Zealand.
Prevalence estimates were about 50 percent lower, meanwhile, in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal The Lancet Global Health.
Follow our social media accounts on https://www.facebook.com/ExpressUSNews and @ExpressUSNews