Prevalence of oral HPV infection higher for U.S. men

(HealthDay)—Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and high-risk oral HPV infection are more common among men than women, according to a study published online Oct. 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Kalyani Sonawane, Ph.D., from the University of Florida in Gainesville, and colleagues examined the prevalence of oral HPV infection and the concordance of oral and genital HPV infection among men and women aged 18 to 69 using 2011-2014 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The researchers found that the overall prevalence of oral HPV infection was 11.5 and 3.2 percent in men and women, respectively. The prevalence of high-risk oral HPV infection was higher among men than women (7.3 versus 1.4 percent, respectively). Oral HPV 16 was more common in men than women (1.8 versus 0.3 percent, respectively). The prevalence of HPV infection was 12.7 and 3.6 percent, respectively, among men and women who reported having same-sex partners. The prevalence of high-risk HPV infection was 22.2 percent among men who reported having two or more same-sex oral sex partners. Oral HPV prevalence was 19.3 and 4.4 percent in men with concurrent genital HPV infection and those without, respectively. Compared with women, men had a 5.4 percent greater predicted probability of high-risk oral HPV infection.

"This study's findings provide several policy implications to guide future OPSCC [oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma] prevention efforts to combat this disease," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.