HPV infection rates for men vs. women: Additional screening is needed (446)

Abstract

<b>Objectives:</b> To evaluate the difference in oral human papillomavirus (HPV) positive prevalence among heterosexual men and women in the United States between 2011 and 2016. <b>Methods:</b> Data on respondents were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011-2016. Sexual orientation was self-reported by respondents. Oral rinse specimens obtained from the mobile examination centers were used to determine whether the respondents tested positive or negative for any of the 37 HPV strains and 14 high-risk HPV strains. <b>Results:</b> Of 7,333 respondents, 3530 (48.8%) identified as heterosexual males and 3803 (51.2%) as heterosexual females. Among the respondents, 9.1% (<i>n</i>=345) of males had oral HPV compared to 2.6% (<i>n</i>=119) of females (p<0.001). On multivariate analysis, we found that being divorced/separated (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.05-3.2) and being a current smoker (OR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.15-2.11) were independent predictors of testing positive for any oral HPV. On subset analysis of high-risk HPV strains, we found that 5.1% of men compared to 1.1% of women tested positive for any high-risk strain (p<0.0001). On multivariate analysis, we found that being male (OR: 4.45, 95% CI: 2.94-6.74), having five or more lifetime sexual partners (OR:7.15, 95% CI: 1.94-26.3), and having three to four alcoholic drinks per day (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.05-2.55) were independent predictors of testing positive for any high-risk oral HPV. Other factors, such as age, education, smoking, and marital status, were not predictive of HPV infection. <b>Conclusions:</b> There is a higher prevalence of any and high-risk oral HPV in men compared to women. Given the increasing incidence of head and neck cancers, screening for high-risk individuals warrants consideration.