From: K
Date: 12/8/2003 9:15:52 PM
To: webmaster@stdweb.com
Subject: Info please
Hello, I just want to make sure you don't list my email address or name
when you list this on the website...just for confidentiality. I am a
male and I had sex with a woman about 4 months ago. We did not use
protection. About 2 months passed and I noticed a very small pump right
below the head of my penis(the back side) which is the side that lays
against the testicles. Anyway, the bump is soft and is barely noticable.
It is basically skin color. Basically, looks like a small zit that would
be on my face without the reddness and the hardness. There is no burning
when I urinate but the tip of my penis will sting a little bit sometimes
but not all the time. Very slight itching sometimes. Everything else is
normal. I am just worried about this and I have not been with anyone
else since her. It has been a little over 2 months since the small bump
emerged and it hasn't changed at all and nothing else has developed. I
have really done my homework but none of the descriptions I have read or
seen match my symptoms really. I have concluded it is either herpes 2,
Chlamydia, or HPV..or if any. I would like your opinion on this and
maybe you could tell me what I should do. Thank you so much and all your
answers to everybody on the website are very helpful and educational.
Hi,
Your description is highly suggestive of a small Genital Wart which is
an infection due to a virus called Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). In man
this is not a serious problem if wasn’t for the fact that man spreads it
around. In women HPV is all another story. We classify the family of
HPV’s in two main classes called:" high risk and low risk". Of what? Of
causing chronic inflammation in women cervices which lead to the
appearance of abnormal cells when they get tested with a PAP smear. For
women there is a very useful and accurate test that can be performed
easily. In man we do not have a test unless you want to have a small
biopsy done of the tissue. Anyway you should visit your Doctor and get
tested at least for Herpes and HIV if you are not sure about your
partner. And... if this is what it is, let your future partners know
about the situation.
Best wishes.
Dr. Gian |
From: Dan
Sent: Wed, 10/6/2004 1:10 AM
To: drgian@stdweb.com
Subject:
I was wondering if you could possibly send me some
information on the sexually transmitted disease; HPV. My ex-girlfriend
recently found out that she has the disease and it is cancerous, but she
had surgery a couple of weeks ago for it. We had sex about a month ago
(stupidly, without a condom), and she took the test before we had sex,
but found out her results after. I m going to get checked, but I was
wondering what kind of possibility I have of this disease spreading to
me and/or creating cancer. I haven t shown any signs of symptoms yet,
but I would like to find out anything about this disease as soon as
possible. I was also wondering where I could go locally to get tested. I
live in WI.
Thank you so much for your time and effort.
>Dan
Hi Dan,
Sorry to hear about your girlfriend. Human Papilloma Virus is the name
of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or
types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, and they
can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the
penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), or anus, and the linings of the
vagina, cervix, or rectum. Most people who become infected with HPV will
not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own.
A small group of these viruses are called “high-risk” types, and may
cause abnormal Pap tests. They may also lead to cancer of the cervix,
vulva, vagina, anus, or penis. Others are called “low-risk” types, and
they may cause mild Pap test abnormalities or genital warts. Genital
warts are single or multiple growths or bumps that appear in the genital
area, and sometimes are cauliflower shaped.
Approximately 20 million people are currently infected with HPV. At
least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV
infection at some point in their lives. By age 50, at least 80 percent
of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. About 6.2 million
Americans get a new genital HPV infection each year. Most women are
diagnosed with HPV on the basis of abnormal Pap tests. A Pap test is not
a tests for HPV but may make evident the effect of the chronic presence
of HPV and its related chronic inflammation and precancerous changes in
the cells of the cervix. Only in women there is a specific test
available which detects the DNA of the Papilloma virus. This test is
used in women when they show mild Pap test abnormalities, or in women
>30 years of age at the time of Pap testing. The HPV DNA testing can
distinguish between the low and the high risk group of viruses and helps
in deciding if further tests or treatment are necessary.
Unfortunately no HPV tests are available for men. You need to rely on
visual inspection which I encourage you to do 3-4 times a year. If warts
should appear several modalities of treatment are available although
they have primarily only a cosmetic value in man. There is no “cure” for
HPV infection, although it is not uncommon to see the infection going
away on its own.
Thanks for sharing your concern.
Dr. Gian
|
