Globally, the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). While high-risk HPV variants are thought to be key contributing factors to cervical cancer, low-risk HPV varieties are linked to genital warts.
Male circumcision is known to offer preventive effects against a variety of STDs and illnesses linked to sexual behavior.
Several studies have discovered a connection between male circumcision and a lower incidence of herpes simplex virus type 2 infection, syphilis, genital ulcer, chancroid, and candidiasis.
Scientists have provided a thorough analysis of the correlation between male circumcision and the risk of HPV infection in both men and their female sexual partners in this systematic review. The review investigates whether circumcision’s protective effects varies depending on the penile location.
Observational and experimental studies documenting the impact of male circumcision on the prevalence, incidence, and clearance of HPV infection in males and their female sexual partners were included in the researchers’ search of several scientific documentation databases.
In terms of study definitions, prevalence denotes the existence of an HPV infection at any time point, incidence denotes the occurrence of an HPV infection that was absent at a prior time point, and clearance denotes the absence of an HPV infection that was previously present.
The Newcastle-Ottawa scale and the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool were used, respectively, for observational research and randomized trials, to assess the risk of bias.
All patients at baseline had an HPV infection prevalence that ranged from 8.7% to 69.8%. The correlation between male circumcision and the prevalence of HPV infection was documented in 21 research.
Circumcision considerably decreased the probability of HPV infections at the glans and shaft, according to study estimates. Regardless of the virus kinds, the largest protective effect of circumcision was seen near the glans (low-risk and high-risk HPV types).
