A comparison of risk factors in juvenile‐onset and adult‐onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis

TLDR

Juvenile‑onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JO‑RRP) has been linked to a triad of being firstborn, delivered vaginally, and having a teenage mother. The authors surveyed JO‑RRP and adult‑onset RRP patients along with juvenile and adult controls to assess risk factors. The survey found that 72 % of JO‑RRP patients exhibited the triad versus 36 % of AO‑RRP patients, and JO‑RRP patients were more likely firstborn, vaginally delivered, and born to teenage mothers, whereas AO‑RRP patients reported more lifetime sex partners and oral sex, suggesting distinct epidemiologic profiles and HPV transmission modes.

Abstract

Abstract The clinical triad of a firstborn delivered vaginally to a young (teenage) mother has been previously noted among juvenile onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JO‐RRP) patients. This study was based on a questionnaire survey of JO‐RRP patients, adult onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (AO‐RRP) patients, and juvenile and adult controls. The survey results revealed that the complete or partial triad was observed in 72% of JO‐RRP patients, 36% of AO‐RRP patients, 29% of juvenile controls, and 38% of adult controls. As compared with juvenile controls, JO‐RRP patients were more often firstborn ( P <.05), delivered vaginally ( P <.05), and born to a teenage mother ( P <.01). Among adult participants, AO‐RRP patients reported more lifetime sex partners ( P <.01) and a higher frequency of oral sex ( P <.05) than reported by adult controls. AO‐RRP and JO‐RRP appear to have distinguishable epidemiologic features indicating that the mode of human papillomavirus (HPV) transmission is different in these two disorders.