Abstract
BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted pathogens. This observational study was conducted to estimate the trend of hospitalization for genital warts (GWs) in the Veneto region (Italy) from 2004 to 2015.MethodsAll patients with GWs were identified in the hospital discharge records of all public and accredited private hospitals that related to Veneto residents and contained the ICD9-CM code 078.11 associated with a genital surgical procedure (vulval/vaginal warts, penile warts and anal warts). Annual total and sex- and age-specific hospitalization rates and trends were calculated and correlated with the different HPV vaccine coverage over the study period.ResultsAn annual rate of 11.8 per 100,000 population (8.6 per 100,000 males, and 14.8 per 100,000 females) was found, corresponding to 6076 hospitalizations for condyloma (53.3% vulval/vaginal, 35.8% anal, 8.3% penile, and 2.6% both penile or vulval/vaginal and anal). Among females, the rate of overall GWs remained stable to 2007 (19.1 per 100,000), then dropped significantly, reaching a rate of 11.3 per 100,000 in 2015 (average annual percent changes [AAPC]: -6.1%; 95% CI: -8.4; −3.7). For males, the overall rate increased over the study period (from 6.4 per 100,000 in 2004 to 10.8 per 100,000 in 2015; AAPC: 3.8%; 95% CI: 1.2; 6.4).Among the potentially vaccinated females (12- to 20-year-olds) there was a 62.1% decrease in the number of vulval/vaginal warts from the years 2010-2012 to the years 2013-2015 due to an increase in the HPV coverage rate. A similar reduction among males was observed in the same period and the same age group for penile warts (−68.2%).ConclusionGWs have an important impact on the health services and data suggest that GW-related hospitalization rates rapidly decline in a population with a high HPV vaccination coverage (about 75%). Further efforts should be made to better clarify the epidemiological picture regarding HPV-related diseases, with particular regard to sexual behavior.
Highlights
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted pathogens
From 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2015, there were 7456 hospitalizations associated with a diagnosis of condyloma in one of the six diagnosis fields, 6651 of these cases included a surgical code, which was potentially associated with a genital wart and could be grouped by genital anatomical site in 6076 cases (Fig. 1)
The data emerging from the present study show a reversal of the trend of hospital admissions for the treatment of Genital warts (GW), a number of factors might explain this picture besides the increase in HPV vaccination coverage rate
Summary
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted pathogens This observational study was conducted to estimate the trend of hospitalization for genital warts (GWs) in the Veneto region (Italy) from 2004 to 2015. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the pathogens most often transmitted sexually in the developed and developing world Despite they can be associated with malignant lesions, the HPV types generally give rise to benign changes such as genital warts (GWs), which are benign epithelial mucosal tumors. GWs are an important public health issue in both sexes, in European regions point to an estimated annual incidence ranging from 142.0 to 191.1 per 100,000 females, and from 147.6 to 167.7 per 100,000 males [2, 3]. GWs are not life-threatening and are generally not perceived as a serious condition, but they can have an important impact in the quality of life of the person affected [5]
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