Tag Archives: men’s health

Half of Men Infected With HPV

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About 50% of men from a sample of the general public are infected with the human papillomavirus, according to a study published online in the medical journal The Lancet. Per year, 6% of men will acquire a new HPV 16 infection, the virus most well known for causing cervical cancer in women and also causing cancers in men. Furthermore, having multiple partners makes a man more likely to have an HPV infection.

In the United States an estimated 32,000 cases of cancers in men and women in 2009 were attributable to HPV infection. These were cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, oral cavity, head and neck, and anal canal. Anogenital warts are the most common outcome of HPV, with 205 cases per 100,000 diagnosed every year in the United States. Because the virus is transmitted so easily during sex, understanding the nature of HPV is of crucial public health importance and can be used in modeling to establish whether vaccinating men would be cost-effective.

The study analysed 1,159 men ages 18 to 70 years (mean 32 years) from the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico, all of whom were HIV-negative and had no history of cancer. They were assessed every six months for an average of more than two years. The incidence of a new genital HPV infection with any HPV type was 38.4 per 1,000 person months. The chances of cancer-causing (oncogenic) HPV infection was 2.6 times higher for men who had at least three male anal sex partners compared with no recent partners. The median duration of HPV infection was 7.5 months for any HPV and 12 months for the cancer-causing HPV type 16. The authors say, “We noted no association with age and incidence of any, oncogenic, or nononcogenic HPV types, although the probability of clearing these infections increased with age.”

They conclude, “The incidence of genital HPV infection in men was high and relatively constant across age groups in Brazil, Mexico, and the USA. The results from this study provide much needed data about the incidence and clearance of HPV infection in men; these data are essential for the development of realistic cost-effectiveness models for male HPV vaccination internationally.”

A Depressing Future for Men?

Posted by michael on

Men face a “depressing future” because of significant changes to the economic and social environment of Western countries, according to psychiatrists.

Experts from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta predict that rates of depressive disorders among men will increase as the 21st century progresses. They make their predictions in the March issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

“Women are almost twice as likely to develop major depressive disorder in their lifetime as men. But we believe this difference may well change in the coming decades,” says Boadie Dunlop, of the Emory University School of Medicine.

Dunlop, with his colleague Tanja Mletzko, has identified two major societal shifts that are already under way in Western countries and that could increase rates of depression among men. First, they argue that society is encouraging men to discuss their feelings more, and stop being so tough and stoic. Second, Western economics are undergoing a “profound restructuring,” with traditional male jobs associated with manufacturing and physical labor being outsourced to low- and middle-income nations or becoming obsolete through technological advances.

“Dubbed by some the ‘mancession,’ the economic downturn has hit men particularly hard because of its disproportionate effect on traditional male industries such as construction and manufacturing,” Dunlop says. “Research has shown that roughly 75% of jobs lost in the United States since the beginning of the recession in 2007 were held by men. There is little reason to believe that traditional male jobs will return in significant numbers with economic recovery.

“Furthermore, Western women are increasingly becoming the primary household earners,” he adds, “with 22% of wives earning more than their husbands in 2007, versus only 4% in 1970. Compared to women, men attach greater importance to their roles as providers and protectors of their families, and men’s failure to fulfill the role of bread winner is associated with greater depression and marital conflict.”

“Western “Men will face a difficult road in the 21st century, particularly those with low levels of education,” Dunlop concludes about the research. “We believe economic and societal changes will have significant implications for men’s mental health. And mental health practitioners need to be aware of these issues.”