The human papilloma virus (HPV) is a viral infection that is primarily transmitted sexually through direct contact with an infected person. It is the most commonly transmitted infection worldwide. The epidemiology of human papillomavirus in women is well studied, while less is known in men. A new study provides aggregated and updated global and regional data specific to disease type and patient age on HPV prevalence in men. The results show that almost one in three men over the age of 15 are infected with at least one type of human papillomavirus, and one in five are infected with one or more of the high-risk or oncogenic forms of HPV. These data highlight the importance of involving men in efforts to control HPV infection and reduce the incidence of human papillomavirus-related disease in both men and women. The study, published in the journal The Lancet Global Health, estimated the prevalence of HPV among men based on clinical data published between 1995 and 2022. Overall, the results showed that 31% of the participants were HPV carriers, and 21% of them are of a high-risk type. HPV-16 was the most common HPV genotype (5%), followed by HPV-6 (4%). HPV prevalence peaks among men between the ages of 25 and 29 and then stabilizes or declines slightly. Prevalence summary data are similar across geographic regions�Europe, North America, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, Australia, and New Zealand. The majority of HPV infections in men and women are asymptomatic, but can lead to long-term consequences and even death. One of the most common consequences in women is cervical cancer, which kills more than 340,000 women each year. In men, HPV infection tends to manifest clinically as condylomas (anogenital warts), which increase the frequency of HPV transmission. Human papillomavirus infections are also associated with penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers, which are usually associated with HPV type 16. The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that in 2018, there were about 69,400 cases of male cancer , caused by HPV. This global study on the prevalence of genital HPV infection among men confirms how widespread the disease is and how important it is to continue the search for new options to prevent HPV infections and reduce the incidence of HPV-related diseases in both men and women. References: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-09-men-worldwide-infected-genital-human.html