Burden of genital warts in Peru: an observational study

Abstract

Genital warts (GW) are mucosal or skin lesions caused by sexual transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV). This study estimates the frequency of GW cases in physicians’ clinics and physicians’ usual practices of GW referral and diagnosis in Peru. Participants in this study were a convenience sample of 100 physicians in five specialties: primary care (17), gynecology (37), urology (10), dermatology (31), and infectious diseases (5). Physicians completed a survey and daily log of all patients aged 18–60 years seen over ten days in their offices located in Peru. The survey recorded GW referral patterns and the daily log recorded patient demographic information and GW diagnosis. Among 12,058 patients, the annual GW prevalence (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 2.28% (2.02–2.56) and cumulative incidence (95% CI) was 1.60% (1.38–1.84). Physicians reported that most GW patients were direct consult (73.5% of male and 67.9% of females) and physicians treated most GW patients themselves (73.4% of males and 76.7% of females). As reported, the most common reasons for referring were ‘serious cases requiring more specialized treatment’ (73.2% of male and 72.2% of female) and ‘lack of resources to treat’ (26.8% of male and 27.8% of female). We conclude that GW cases are commonly seen by physicians in Peru.

Sex differences in the prevalence and determinants of HPV-related external genital lesions in young adults: a national cross-sectional survey in Brazil

“…The prevalence rates found are high, similar to that reported in Mexico (5.10%), Hungary (4.03%) and the USA (4.10%), and much higher than that in most countries, such as Italy (0.05%), Canada (1.10%) [ 22 ] and Vietnam (0.20%); the peak incidence in the young population occurred between the ages of 18 and 29 years [ 1 , 23 ].…”

“…Data regarding the prevalence of genital lesions in men from low/middle income countries are scarce [ 1 , 24 – 26 ]. These studies used different epidemiological and analytical methodologies, which could explain the differences in prevalence: 5.25% in Peru [ 1 ], 1.22% in India [ 24 ] and 1.99% in Mexico [ 25 ]. The incidence reported in Mexico was 42%, and that in Brazil was 31.9% over a period of four years [ 26 ].…”

“…Human papillomavirus (HPV) lesions of the external genital region, which are commonly identified as genital warts (GW), are the most common outcome of HPV infection, followed by low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and cervical, penile, anal and head and neck cancers [ 1 , 2 ]. The lifetime probability of acquiring HPV was estimated to be 84.6% among women and 91.3% among men [ 3 ].…”

Estimating the burden of illness related to genital warts in the Philippines: a nationally representative cross-sectional study

“…However, the results of a 2007 study of women aged 18–45 years in 4 northern European countries over a 12-month period showed a GW prevalence of 1.3% in Denmark, 1.9% in Iceland, 1.1% in Norway, and 1.0% in Sweden [31]. A recent study performed in Peru using the same methodology reported also similar prevalence rates [32].…”

Vacuna del papilomavirus en el Perú

“…Otra patología frecuente que también tiene impacto en la morbilidad de las mujeres son las verrugas genitales, que generalmente están asociadas a subregistro; la prevalencia es 2,28% (IC95% 2,02 a 2,56) en Perú y aparentemente son casos frecuentemente vistos en los consultorios médicos (27) .…”