The number of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in women has been well documented, but less is known about this cancer-causing virus’s prevalence in men.
A new study published today in The Lancet Global Health (September 2023 early release) estimates the frequency of men harboring genital HPV infections.
These resarchers estimated the overall HPV prevalence of any type among men was 31% (95% CI 27–35), with study-specific prevalences ranging from 1% to 84%
And the overall prevalence of high-risk (HR) HPV was 21% (95% CI 18–24), with study-specific prevalences ranging from 1% to 75%. HPV-16 was the most frequent HR-HPV type at 5%.
Furthermore, HPV prevalence in men peaked in the group aged 25–29 years.