A study published this year in the Lancet Global Health journal showed that the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in men over the age of 15 is high. The result alerted experts around the world. Research supports that sexually active men, regardless of age, represent an important reservoir of genital HPV infection.
The analysis collected approximately 5,700 scientific texts published between 1995 and 2022. “One in three men worldwide is infected with at least one type of genital HPV. About one in five are infected with one or more high-risk HPV types or those that have the potential to cause cancer,” the research noted. The prevalence was particularly high among young people, reaching a maximum between the ages of 25 and 29 years.
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HPV: a silent disease
According to urologist, communications director and member of the Infection Committee of the Brazilian Society of Urology (SBU), Karen Anzulch, symptoms of HPV infection rarely appear. “When they do appear, they are generally discreet and can be confused with other clinical conditions such as fungi and allergies,” he says.
In a large number of cases, after initial contamination and infection, the manifestations disappear spontaneously. However, before this happens, the individual may have already transmitted the infection to their partners.
However, the virus remains present in many infected people, and appears clinically in an average period of two to eight months. The appearance can occur up to more than a decade after infection. “It is worth noting that even subclinical lesions, those that cannot be seen with the naked eye, can lead to the development of pre-malignant and malignant lesions,” warns the doctor.
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