Sexually transmitted infections in men

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are usually associated with women, both as the victims and sources. Men, too, however suffer from STIs, according to Dr Joseph Ogavu Gyagenda, a senior medical officer at Nsambya hospital. However, the presentation or sysmptoms as particular STIs may be known by, may differ in men.

Gyagenda says that the uncircumcised men are especially more prone, since a lot of germs hide under the fore skin giving chance to infections to thrive. STIs are diseases transmitted through sexual intercourse.

There are a number of sexually transmitted diseases, with different symptoms, and they can be spread through different forms of sex, be it vaginal, anal and oral sex. “The perception that if one avoids vaginal sex they will not catch STIs is wrong; whichever way you have sex predisposes you to these infections, as long as it is unsafe or unprotected sex,” the doctor asserts.

He explains the different STIs and how they are most likely to present in men compared to women.

Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea can infect the urethra, rectum, anus, and throat, usually appearing one to 10 days after exposure. It is a serious infection in women that reveals itself with a yellowish vaginal discharge and itching around the vaginal area. Untreated, gonorrhea can lead to a severe pelvic infection and swelling of the fallopian tubes and ovaries.

In men, it carries symptoms that include a discharge from the anus if the rectum is infected, a burning sensation when passing urine and a yellow discharge from the penis.

Syphilis
A common STI with seemingly unserious or painless symptoms hence taking months or even years to identify, syphilis is a bacterial infection. A woman who has syphilis will have symptoms like skin rash that appears on her palms and the bottom of the feet, white patches in her mouth, nose and the vagina, a sore throat, headaches and fever. A man with syphilis will have symptoms like painless ulcers on the penis, a non-itchy rash on the penis and ‘unserious fever’.

The doctor however warns that despite its subtle symptoms, this infection can become serious, whether in men or women, if not treated. “This is a dangerous infection and if it goes untreated, one is most likely to get complications like a stricture, where the urethra gets blocked, making it uneasy to pass urine,” says the doctor emphasising that this could even lead to death.

Chlamydia
Also a bacterial infection, chlamydia is, according to Dr Gyagenda, common in people with different sex partners. In women, it will present a vaginal discharge, frequent urination, pain while passing urine, pain during sexual intercourse, bleeding after having sex and lower abdominal pains.

Among men, the doctor says that the symptoms are more likely the same as those of gonorrhea; a burning sensation when passing urine, discharge from the penis and discharge from the rectum (anus).

Trichomoniasis
This infection is caused by an organism transmitted during sexual intercourse. In both women and men, transmission is usually through anal, oral or vaginal sex with an infected person. Trichomoniasis is associated with penile discharge, pain during sex or when passing urine, and swelling of the urethra.

In women, the infection appears with swelling of the vagina, bloodish discharge, pain during sexual intercourse or when urinating, and lower abdominal pains.

Genital herpes
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted viral infection. In most cases, people are unaware of the infection because it sometimes shows no symptoms.
“It appears for a period of two weeks and disappears. It has signs of itching in the genital or anal area, small fluid blisters that leave behind small painful sores when they burst, pain when passing urine, backache, swollen glands and fever symptoms,” says Gyagenda.

He explains that this infection can be passed on to another individual through a skin contact with one who is infected with the virus, though it is commonly spread through sex (it is a contagious infection).

Symptoms of herpes in women include wounds on the vulva and in the vaginal opening, painful sores and swelling of the cervix. According to the doctor, the infection is most common in HIV/AIDS patients.

Common STI symptoms
“In some instances, some STIs can manifest in other parts of the body other than the genitals such as lips, tongue or throat, depending on the type of sex had and the STI contracted,” says Gyagenda adding, “If one cannot use a condom during sex, they could forego it (sex) until the infected partner is treated.”

“Some STDs symptoms like HIV do not show quickly and by the time they present themselves, the person is already eaten up, some even take months to show,” Gyagenda says.

How bad they can get
In women, it is common knowledge that when STIs are neglected, what is put at stake before anything else is her reproductive health. Among the men, Dr Gyagenda explains that when untreated, these infections can spread to other parts of the body, like the kidney in which case they would cause kidney diseases like Pyelonephritis, a life-threatening infection that characteristically causes some scarring of the kidney and may lead to significant damage and eventual kidney failure and death.

The doctor adds that like in women, STIs in men damage the protective surface of the penis making them more vulnerable to catching the most dreaded STI of all, HIV. “All STDs affect male and female depending on who transmits it to the other. It is advisable for infected individuals to abstain from sex until they get full treatment. If the sick partners have sex, both parties are at risk of acquiring other infections because of the wounds they may have,” concludes the doctor.