Men’s Awareness of Human Papillomavirus Positivity—Reply

In Reply Dr Castellanos and colleagues inquire whether men who tested positive for genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection were counseled regarding their status and educated on HPV in our study. Currently, there is no clinically approved HPV test for men. Therefore, HPV testing for men was for research purposes only, and the decision was made by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Physician Advisory Group not to report the results to the participants. The reporting protocols were reviewed and approved by the National Center for Health Statistics Research Ethics Review Board. The advisory group decided that it would be inappropriate to provide positive HPV results to participants because clinically approved HPV test and result–based recommendations are not available for men. In contrast, women were provided with the HPV results because HPV testing is completed with an approved test in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments–certified laboratory. Although NHANES does not provide any treatments for participants, women were informed of their results with recommendation to follow up with their clinician. In addition, NHANES provides health education with trained sexually transmitted infection (STI) health educators to women should they have any questions or concerns.

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