2023-08-20 06:00:06
According to a study published in “The Lancet” this Wednesday, August 16, 31% of men over 15 are affected by a form of HPV (Human Papillomavirus). In some types, these are serious cases that can lead to cancer.
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Papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection. It is a family of viruses (A virus is a biological entity that requires a host cell, which it uses…) that can infect the skin (The skin is an organ composed of several layers of tissue. It plays , among others, the…) and the mucous membranes, both in women and in men. In terms of protection, condoms can only partially protect against it. Vaccination (Vaccination is a process consisting in introducing an external agent (the…) remains the most effective means. The latter was reserved for young girls exclusively until 2021, but is now open to all. Three vaccines are offered in France to prevent these infections. In most cases, these infections present little danger and are asymptomatic. However, some forms can lead to various cancers (cervix, vagina, anus (L’ anus is the orifice through which the rectum, the terminal part of the large intestine (the colon),…), penis, tonsils, etc. A little more than 200 forms of HPV exist. of men are concerned, 21% are carriers of this virus in a high-risk, potentially oncogenic form. To arrive at this observation, the researchers relied on a grouping of 65 different studies carried out in 35 countries (Pays comes from the Latin pagus which designated a territorial and tribal subdivision of extent…) between 1995 and 2022 and relating to 44,769 men.
The statistics extracted from these studies show that a peak of 35% in prevalence is observed among men aged 25 to 29. Thereafter, this rate stabilizes or even decreases slightly. Among the male population aged 15 to 19, this rate is 18%. With the exception of Asia (Asia is one of the five continents or part of the supercontinents Eurasia or Afro-Eurasia of…) East and Southeast (Southeast is the direction halfway between the cardinal points south and east. The south-east is…) which are half as affected, the other regions of the world (The word world can designate:) show similar rates.
In 2021, vaccination coverage for girls is around 40% compared to only 10% for boys. Even though this infection is responsible for 6000 cancers per year in France (nearly 100% of cancers of the cervix are moreover the consequence of a papillomavirus), the result of this study only serves as a reminder of the importance to include men in prevention actions against HPV.
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