HPV type 18 in men

Everyone thinks that the papillomavirus infection can only harm the female body. At the same time, the stronger sex may think that nothing threatens him, and HPV is a purely female infection. But is it worth relaxing so much if the main route of transmission of the virus is considered to be sexual contact or simple contact of the mucous membranes of sexual partners?

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Pathogenesis

In fact, the risk of infection exists and it is real regardless of the type of sexual contact (vaginal, anal or oral). It's just that the lesions in this case will be located in different places (where there was contact of the mucous membranes). If the infection has settled in the reproductive system of the female body, during vaginal sexual contact, HPV virions can penetrate the cells of the man's penis. During oral sex, they can travel from the genitals to the mucous membrane of the mouth, and during anal sex, they can affect the anus, perineum and colon.

Men have easier hygiene than women due to the peculiarities of the penis structure. If you perform hygiene procedures immediately after intercourse, the risk of infection decreases. Protected sexual intercourse can also reduce the number of virions that get on the mucous membrane.

But that's not all, doctors believe that men have a lower risk of malignant transformation of tumors caused by highly oncogenic types of the papilloma virus ( HPV 18, 16, HPV 31, etc.) than women. The body of a young and healthy man is quite capable of coping with the virus. His immunity can delay the spread of the virus for several years. The risk of external signs of the disease and the transition of warts (condylomas) to cancer appears only with a strong weakening of the immune system, which is facilitated by long-term chronic diseases and HIV infection, which mainly affects men who are not particularly picky in choosing a sexual partner.

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Symptoms HPV type 18 in men

In most cases, external manifestations of the papillomavirus are observed in men who are no longer young and have a certain stock of chronic diseases. As in women, the disease manifests itself in the appearance of condylomas and warts on the penis and anus, which usually do not hurt or itch. The disease has no other symptoms.

But even with a strong immune system that holds back the spread of the virus, a man remains a virus carrier for a long time (we have already said that the immune system has a hard time coping with highly oncogenic strains of the virus) and poses a danger to his sexual partners of either sex, since he is considered contagious. The entire period during which the HPV 18, HPV 16 and other oncogenic strains are present in a man's body, the person must be registered with a specialist, because symptoms can appear at any time, and the risk of cell degeneration, although small, is there.

What are the external symptoms of HPV in men? Usually we are talking about the appearance of unusual growths on the penis or around the anus, which are formed as a result of active, abnormal cell division of the mucous membrane of the male "dignity". In the future, the tissues of the organ near the neoplasm can grow even stronger, but this happens only in rare cases. Usually, everything is limited to condylomas and warts that do not turn into a malignant tumor, although the risk still remains if such growths are not removed for a long time.

Human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 can cause the development of the following diseases in men:

• Bowenoid papulosis of the penis. A characteristic symptom of the disease is the appearance of red or purple spots on the skin of the penis with a smooth or warty surface. The latter usually indicates a viral nature of the disease. The behavior of such rashes is due to the work of the immune system. As soon as immunity decreases, the spots appear again. In this case, most often in the perineum area you can find not only spots, but also papillomas.

The disease can last for a long time, without causing any particular discomfort to the man. But he remains contagious for his woman, who may subsequently develop similar rashes on her labia and vagina.

Bowenoid papulosis may seem like a harmless disease, if you do not take into account the fact that it is classified as a precancerous condition. With a strong decrease in immunity or a hereditary predisposition to oncological diseases, a man may eventually develop squamous cell carcinoma of the penis, cancer of the genitals, adenocarcinoma (glandular cancer) localized in the prostate gland or colon, Bowen's disease. In women, the disease is fraught with the development of vaginal cancer.

• Penile cancer. This is an aggressive disease that can metastasize already at the first stage of development. According to various data, from 30 to 80% of patients with this pathology have highly oncogenic strains of the papillomavirus in their body, which provoke cell degeneration. Initially, the tumor looks like a common wart or condilloma (usually they are often located in a group), but subsequently it begins to grow rapidly.
• Bowen's disease. This disease is also classified as a precancerous condition. At first, red spots that are not painful when pressed and small erosions appear on the head of the penis. Later, convex plaque-shaped seals may form in place of these spots. The red flaky plaques that appear on the penis gradually grow, and if the cause of their appearance is HPV 18 or 16, they can eventually degenerate into a malignant tumor (invasive squamous cell carcinoma).

The prognosis of the disease suggests that the risk of plaques degenerating into a cancerous tumor is quite high (according to various sources, from 15 to 80%).

• Prostate adenocarcinoma. This oncological disease is in most cases associated with papillomavirus infection, or more precisely with its highly oncogenic strains. This pathology, like any cancer, requires surgical treatment, since it is possible for cancer cells to grow into the bladder, rectum and other nearby organs.

As we can see, men should not relax too much. It is important to remember that the risk of contracting the papillomavirus is the same for them as for women. However, young and strong men should not panic too much if HPV type 18 or 16 is detected. The viral infection does not require special treatment until external symptoms appear in the form of condylomas and warts, which need to be removed so that they do not develop into cancer. However, if you maintain your immunity with immunostimulants and a healthy lifestyle, the neoplasms can disappear on their own in a couple of years.

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