Incidence of anogenital warts in Germany: a population-based cohort study

Abstract

BackgroundHuman papilloma virus (HPV) types 6 and 11 account for 90 percent of anogenital warts (AGW). Assessment of a potential reduction of the incidence of AGW following introduction of HPV vaccines requires population-based incidence rates. The aim of this study was to estimate incidence rates of AGW in Germany, stratified by age, sex, and region. Additionally, the medical practitioner (gynaecologist, dermatologist, urologist etc.) who made the initial diagnosis of AGW was assessed.MethodsRetrospective cohort study in a population aged 10 to 79 years in a population-based healthcare insurance database. The database included more than 14 million insurance members from all over Germany during the years 2004-2006. A case of AGW was considered incident if a disease-free period of twelve months preceded the diagnosis. To assess regional variation, analyses were performed by federal state.ResultsThe estimated incidence rate was 169.5/100,000 person-years for the German population aged 10 to 79 years. Most cases occurred in the 15 to 40 years age group. The incidence rate was higher and showed a peak at younger ages in females than in males. The highest incidence rates for both sexes were observed in the city-states Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen. In females, initial diagnosis of AGW was most frequently made by a gynaecologist (71.7%), whereas in males, AGW were most frequently diagnosed by a dermatologist (44.8%) or urologist (25.1%).ConclusionsIncidence of AGW in Germany is comparable with findings for other countries. As expected, most cases occurred in the younger age groups. The frequency of diagnoses of AGW differs between sexes and women and men receive treatment by doctors of different specialties.

The Epidemiology of Human Papillomaviruses

“…Though age is not associated with the incidence of HPV infection in men [42], the incidence of genital warts is highest among men younger than the age of 30 and significantly decreases with age [120]. The incidence of genital warts likely peaks at a slightly younger age among females than males [121].…”

Estimation of Background Incidence Rates of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Germany - A Retrospective Cohort Study with Electronic Healthcare Data

“…This retrospective cohort study was based on data from four statutory health insurance providers (SHIs) contributing data to the German Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database (GePaRD), which has been described in detail elsewhere [25,26,27,28]. In brief, GePaRD consists of records of four SHIs, includes data from more than 17 million insurees of all ages, and covers all geographical regions of Germany.…”

HPV vaccine uptake after introduction of the vaccine in Germany

“…[8][9][10][11][12] In brief, GePaRD consists of records of 4 SHIs, includes data from more than 17 million insurees of all ages, and covers all geographical regions of Germany. In the present study, 1 of 4 SHIs participated with about 7 million insurees, covering 8.5% of the German population.…”