According to new research, many men around the world are infected with the human papillomavirus, or HPV.
According to the study, one in every three males has at least one strain of genital HPV, and one in every five has a strain known to raise the risk of some malignancies in both men and women.
Many of the most dangerous strains of HPV are vaccine-preventable.
They examined 65 research on men aged 15 and older conducted in 35 countries during the last 30 years.
Overall, they estimated that the global pooled prevalence for men with any kind of HPV was 31%, with a prevalence of 21% for any type of high-risk HPV.
HPV infection seems to be most common in young males in their mid to late twenties. HPV prevalence was comparable in Europe and the Americas, but substantially lower (approximately half) in Eastern and Southeastern Asia.
HPV the Most Common Sexually Transmitted Viral Infection
HPV is the most prevalent sexually transmitted viral illness in the United States and around the world, and almost everyone will be infected with it at some point in their lives.
Most HPV infections, thankfully, are asymptomatic, and the body usually clears an infection on its own within a few years.
However, there are over 200 different forms of HPV, and some of them can produce unpleasant symptoms such as genital warts.
These warts are not hazardous and normally fade away on their own, although they are unsightly and sometimes uncomfortable.
Other kinds of HPV produce no acute illness but increase the risk of numerous cancers (one explanation for this is that these infections tend to persist in the body for much longer).
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Human Papillomavirus Linked to Penile Cancer
HPV is well known for its role in the development of cervical cancer in women, and it is assumed to be responsible for the great majority of these tumors.
High-risk HPV strains, on the other hand, have been related to penile cancer in men, and also to anal, throat, and oral cancers in both men and women.
While most persons with high-risk HPV will not acquire these cancers, HPV is responsible for the majority of them. For example, high-risk HPV is linked to 60% of penile malignancies and 70% of throat cancers.
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