Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections. Although the research focus has been on women, men are also affected. Thus, the aim was to estimate the prevalence of HPV in men and to analyse its risk factors. A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed. The main health science databases were consulted. The search terms were was: “papilloma virus AND (prevalence OR risk factors) AND men”. The final sample of studies was n = 16 and the men sample for the meta-analysis was n = 18,106. The meta-analysis revealed a prevalence of 49% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 35–64%) of any type of human papillomavirus in men and 35% (95% CI: 26–45%) of high-risk human papillomavirus in men. The included studies showed that stable sexual habits, circumcision and condom use are protective factors against HPV. In addition, there is a certain positive association with tobacco use and the early initiation of sexual intercourse. In conclusion, the prevalence of HPV in men is high. The risk factors for HPV infection are sexual promiscuity, early sexual debut, absence of circumcision, lack of condom use and smoking. Further study in this field about the effectiveness of the vaccine and health education should be conducted.
Highlights
Human genital papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) which has become a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide [1]
After reading the titles and abstracts, n = 568 records were excluded because because they were were not related related to the study topic, the sample included women, the study design was not appropriate for this review, review, or due to the language of publication
The characteristics of the studies and the HPV risk factors are summarized in Table
Summary
Human genital papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) which has become a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide [1]. More than 100 types of HPV have been identified to date. About 30 types are associated with an increased risk of cancer. Those oncogenic HPV are classified as low or high risk subtypes. HPV infections usually clear without intervention, low-risk HPV can cause genital warts. High-risk HPV can provoke cancer in several locations such as the cervix, vulva, vagina and anus. HPV can lead to cancer of the anus and of the penis [2,3]. HPV can produce cancer in the back of the throat, as well as the base of the tongue and tonsils (oropharyngeal cancer) [4,5,6]
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