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The 6 Most Common STDs in Men
Many recovering alcoholic or addicted men can remember the alcohol and drug induced sexual activities that may have exposed them to STDs. Recovery, for me, means healthy living in all aspects of my life. Prevention of gaining or giving STDs is one of these practices.
You can prevent STDs. Here’s how.
Italians called it “the Spanish disease.” The French dubbed it “the English disease.” Among Russians, it was known as “the Polish disease.” Among Arabs? “The disease of Christians.”
No one wanted to claim it, and with good reason. The disease, syphilis, begins by causing crusty sores in private places. After hiding out in the body for years, it can emerge to drive people insane and then kill them.
Syphilis is just one of more than a dozen nasty sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, that take advantage of the joy of sex to spread their special misery. Along with gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), and HIV/AIDS, syphilis is one of the six most common STDs. Despite tremendous advances in understanding and controlling STDs — or sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as they are sometimes called — they’re still out there spoiling the party.
Some of the most common or worrisome STDs are;
HIV/AIDS
By far the most dreaded sexually transmitted disease, the number of infections of HIV/AIDS has been falling slowly but surely.
Early signs of HIV/AIDS infection can include flu-like symptoms, unexplained rashes, fungal infections in the throat, and unusual tiredness.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is an STD that just won’t go away — it remains the second most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States.
In men, the symptoms of gonorrhea include pus-like discharge from the penis, with frequent, burning urination.
Chlamydia
Although often symptomless in men, chlamydia can cause inflammation of the testicles, prostate and urethra.
Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV-2)
Good news on this bad guy: Herpes simplex virus-2, which can cause genital herpes sores, is on the decline, according to the latest numbers.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Experts are most concerned about women getting HPV because the virus is known to cause cervical cancer. But HPV is also known to cause genital warts and to increase the risk of cancers of the penis, anus and rectum in men.
Syphilis
Fortunately, modern medicine has found effective drugs to treat the scourge of syphilis. Preventing the disease hasn’t proved as easy, however.
That’s scary for plenty of reasons. Untreated syphilis can damage the brain, cardiovascular system and many organs in the body. What’s more, having syphilis increases the danger of being infected with HIV/AIDS at least two- to five-fold.
The ABCs of STD Prevention
You’d think advice on how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases would be noncontroversial, right? Wrong. Like so much else these days, STD prevention advice is a political hot potato.
To keep everyone happy, public health officials have latched on to an easy-to-remember acronym for prevention: "ABC." A is for “abstinence.” B is for “be faithful.” C is for “condom.”
New Evidence on Condom Effectiveness
An important new finding shows that condom use can lower the risk of infection — not only of HIV/AIDS, but of many other STDs.
Full Information at Article Link: Common STDs in Men
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