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. 2007 Oct 15;196(8):1137-45.
doi: 10.1086/521632. Epub 2007 Sep 17.

Risk factors for anogenital human papillomavirus infection in men

Carrie M Nielson  1 , Robin B Harris, Eileen F Dunne, Martha Abrahamsen, Mary R Papenfuss, Roberto Flores, Lauri E Markowitz, Anna R Giuliano
Affiliations

Risk factors for anogenital human papillomavirus infection in men

Carrie M Nielson et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is strongly associated with cervical and other anogenital cancers. Identification of risk factors for HPV infection in men may improve our understanding of HPV transmission and prevention.

Methods: HPV testing for 37 types was conducted in 463 men 18-40 years old recruited from 2 US cities. The entire anogenital region and semen were sampled. A self-administered questionnaire was completed. Multivariate logistic regression aided the identification of independent risk factors for any HPV type, oncogenic HPV types, and nononcogenic HPV types.

Results: Prevalence was 65.4% for any HPV, 29.2% for oncogenic HPV, and 36.3% for nononcogenic HPV. Factors significantly associated with any HPV were smoking > or =10 cigarettes per day (odds ratio [OR], 2.3 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.0-5.3]) and lifetime number of female sex partners (FSPs) (OR for > or =21, 2.5 [95% CI, 1.3-4.6]), and factors significantly associated with oncogenic HPV were lifetime number of FSPs (OR for > or =21, 7.4 [95% CI, 3.4-16.3]) and condom use during the past 3 months (OR for more than half the time, 0.5 [95% CI, 0.3-0.8]). For nononcogenic HPV, a significant association was found for number of FSPs during the past 3 months (OR for > or =2, 2.9 [95% CI, 1.4-6.3]).

Conclusions: Lifetime and recent number of FSPs, condom use, and smoking were modifiable risk factors associated with HPV infection in men.

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Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflicts of interest: A.R.G. is on the speakers’ bureau of Merck and has served as a consultant for the male human papillomavirus vaccine program at Merck. All other authors report no potential conflicts.

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