What are the symptoms of HPV infection in men

Now, you must be familiar with the term HPV, because the attention and publicity for HPV are very strong. However, many people think that HPV is a disease that only women can get and has nothing to do with men. This is wrong. In fact, everyone has HPV, but women are more susceptible to it. This does not mean that men will not be infected, so men should also pay attention to it.

What are the symptoms of HPV infection in men

1. Speaking of HPV, the full name is human papillomavirus. HPV is divided into high-risk and low-risk types according to the harmfulness. Common subtypes of high-risk types are 16, 18, 31, 33, 39, 45, 52, 56, 58, 66, 68, etc. There are basically no symptoms after being infected with high-risk types, but if the infection continues for a long time, it can be transmitted to your sexual partner, that is, you carry the virus and transmit it to your partner, causing her cervix to be infected with high-risk HPV virus. Then, if the female cervix is ​​infected with high-risk HPV virus for a long time, there is a possibility of cancer, that is, cervical cancer. Of course, there are also cases of penile cancer in men. This is the harm of being infected with high-risk types. In summary, although there will be no special symptoms, it is very harmful.

2. Next, let's talk about the low-risk type. Common subtypes of the low-risk type include 6, 11, 43, 81, etc. The most common symptom after being infected with the low-risk type is the growth of warts. Clinically, this disease is called condyloma acuminatum. Since it is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, it is defined as a sexually transmitted disease. This type of sexually transmitted disease is the only one that does not enter the blood and only infects the human epidermis. Both men and women can be infected. The difference between men and women is that women's immunity is generally lower than that of men. Therefore, the party with low immunity will grow warts first. Then, from infection with HPV to the growth of warts, a latent period is required, which is generally 3 weeks to 8 months. For example, if a woman has low immunity, she may grow warts in three months, while a man with high immunity may develop the disease in 5 months or even longer. Of course, if your immunity is very strong, you may continue to carry the virus without developing warts, that is, without any symptoms. This situation also exists.

Does HPV infection affect men's health?

1. Similar to women, men can also be infected with HPV through intimate skin-to-mucosal contact, mainly through sexual intercourse (vagina or anus). Simple contact in daily life, such as shaking hands, cannot cause infection. Low-risk HPV viruses cause genital warts, usually around the anus, penis, scrotum, groin or thighs. Condyloma acuminatum is curable. High-risk HPV infection may cause penile cancer or anal cancer in men (more common in gay, bisexual or HIV-positive men), but it is very rare.

2. Male HPV infection itself is not a disease, and most infections can be cleared by the body's own immunity, generally without causing any symptoms or affecting health. Even if men are infected with HPV, due to the special physiological structure, they can basically clear the virus through their own immunity, and rarely develop cancer. In short, HPV rarely causes serious health problems for men, especially those with very good immunity.