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HPV has been associated with cervical cancer. And that’s good, because it actually causes it. It is a shame, however, that the influence of HPV on men’s health is largely ignored. And it can be very dangerous for them. It can cause throat cancer, among other things.
HPV in men – who is at risk?
The HPV virus is an additional attraction of one of the most pleasant activities – it is transmitted through sexual contact. Therefore, any male who is sexually active should think about contagion prevention. And if he has had (or has) many partners in his life, he should think twice about safety. The statistics are unambiguous: HPV infection it is most common in this group of men. Statistics say that approx. 80 percent. men and women have been or will be infected with HPV at least once in their life.
Sometimes a strong immune system can cope despite exposure to the virus. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case.
It is estimated that about one percent of men (i.e. one man in a hundred who have contact with the virus) will develop HPV-related diseases after infection.
In bisexuals and homosexuals, the risk of infection and HPV-related diseases increases several times.
The average age of infection among men is between 18 and 24 years of age. There are two ways of infection: through classic vaginal intercourse and through anal or oral intercourse. The main problem is that although we’ve already caught the virus, the infection may be asymptomatic for a long timeand during this time, as carriers of the virus, men infect other partners. It turns out you can carry the virus for many years after giving up sexual activity.
HPV virus – genetic test panel for men can be purchased at Medonet Market. It is enough to take a swab sample from the penis glans and send it to the laboratory. After 6-8 days, the results will be ready for collection.
- Anal sex – health effects and contraindications
Symptoms of the human papilloma
The HPV virus, or Human Papilloma Virus, is in Polish human papillomavirus. The main health problem it causes is genitourinary warts that are difficult to treat. But it doesn’t stop there. This extremely malignant microorganism is also known to cause the development of certain types of cancer. Until recently, cervical cancers in women, cancer of the anus and penile cancer in men have been associated with it. Another type of health problem recently added to this list: certain types of head and neck cancers. Recent studies have even shown that there may be a link between infection with HPV and the occurrence of certain lung cancers!
- Lung cancer diagnosis
But let’s start from the beginning: from genitourinary warts – this is the most common effect of encountering the HPV virus. Warts appear in intimate places. They are cauliflower-shaped, raised or flat lesions that are not painful but look very unsightly and like to appear in groups. A large rash of warts in one area can make it look like a cauliflower growth. They can appear (or even cover) the surface of the scrotum, penis or around the anus.
Warts are difficult to eliminate. If they have appeared once, they can only be removed. They are usually removed by freezing or surgically excised. However, this also does not guarantee that they will not reappear. That is why men who have few warts or who have them located in easy places sometimes decide not to remove them – the more so because even disappearance of warts from the skin surface does not mean that the man stops infecting his partner with the virus. Let us add that warts are a nasty sight (especially as they can grow or multiply), but they do not pose a health risk and will not turn into cancer.
Do you want to be tested for HPV infection? You can perform the test without a personal visit to the collection point – just use the mail-order diagnostic test for HPV infection.
Warts do not appear immediately after intercourse with an infected person. The brooding period of the disease usually lasts several weeks, but it can also last several months – it all depends on how long the immune system is able to keep the virus “in check”.
HPV neoplastic complications
A much more serious complication of exposure to HPV is the development of cancer of the anus or penis. World Health Organization data say that 90 percent. anal cancer cases are the “fruit” of HPV infection, as are 40 percent of cases of anal cancer. penile cancer cases.
Symptoms such as pain, itching and rectal bleeding and enlargement of the lymph nodes in the groin or anus should be of concern to men. The change in the shape of the stool and disturbances in the bowel function are also disturbing.
- What do the changes in my stool show?
Penile cancer in the early stages of the disease is manifested by a change in the thickness of the skin, a change in color or thickening of the penis itself.
With such symptoms, you need to see a doctor immediately!
Then there are wounds or growths on the penis, usually painless, but sometimes bleeding and aching.
If there is whitish or greenish discharge from the penis, the penis itself burns or itches when urinating, and the opening of the urethra is red and swollen – this is also a symptom of a disease, but rather of a venereal disease, not a tumor.
In Poland, on average, about 200 cases of penile cancer are diagnosed annually, and most of them are associated with the presence of HPV.
Throat cancer and the human papillomavirus
In recent years, the number of cases of throat cancer caused by HPV infection has increased. In the past, throat cancer was the domain of men in their sixties, smoking and drinking a lot of alcohol – it was stimulants that damaged the throat mucosa, causing the cancer to develop. For several decades, young men have started to join the group suffering from throat cancer more and more often. Though there are many types of throat cancers, the number of cancer-related cases has increased in recent years carcinogenic variants of HPV – with the same mutations that cause cervical cancer (that is, with strains 16 and 51).
According to WHO data, as much as 12 percent. throat cancer cases and 3 percent. Oral tumors are caused by an HPV infection. The virus most often attacks and causes lesions of the tonsils, the mouth and the base of the tongue. Why there? In these places there is a delicate mucosa, similar to the one that lines the mouth of the cervix, and which is particularly sensitive to infection by the virus.
Many experts suggest that this rise in morbidity is related to the increase in variety in sexual practices and the popularity of various forms of oral sex. Interestingly, it turns out that HPV-related cancers are not a problem for people in closed, monogamous sexual relationships.
The biggest surprise, however, is the link between HPV and lung cancer risk. Studies have shown that in people who become infected with the virus, the risk of developing lung cancer increases by as much as 100 percent. So many statistics – because it is still not known exactly what is the role of the virus in the formation of this cancer, and what is its path in the lungs. However, it is known that the presence of HPV antibodies in the blood means trouble – because lung cancer in infected people occurred even regardless of whether they were smokers or non-smokers.
Vaccination against HPV
Every man who has sex should think about protection against HPV infection. There are three methods here. The first is loyalty to one sexual partner. However, it would be difficult to achieve for singles who are still looking for a significant other. Such gentlemen do not need to refrain from having sex, but they should remember to wear a condom. It reduces the risk of infection – although, unfortunately, it does not completely prevent it.
It turns out that papillomas can also affect areas that are not covered by the condom, because the virus can also live on the skin in the genital area.
Therefore, the best – because the most effective – protection is vaccination against HPV. Of course, it would be best to vaccinate boys before sexual activity begins, because then you can be sure that they are not infected with the virus and vaccinating them will actually protect them from such an infection. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth vaccinating adult men.
It’s worth it, because despite their sexual activity, they may still be free from the virus – and even if they’ve come into contact with it, they may have come into contact with one of the non-carcinogenic forms (there are a whole host of types of HPV and only a few are carcinogenic). In such a situation, vaccination will still protect them from other strains of the virus, and thus – from more serious health problems.
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