Other sexually transmitted infections

Unprotected sex can not only cause HIV, but also many other fungal, bacterial and viral infections. Fortunately, these can be cured, but curing them does not give you immunity: you can catch them again and again during unprotected sex.

As with all infections, they have a latency period, from a few days to several months before the first symptoms appear, but it is not unusual if you do not have any symptoms at all.

Chlamydia

Caused by a virus-like bacterium. It is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. It is often asymptomatic (80% of women, 50% of men), but can be associated with vaginal discharge, urinary symptoms, milky white/ watery discharge from the urethra, testicular pain, bleeding.

It is tested by smear or urine culture and treated with antibiotics if positive.

Live parasites (crabs, scabies)

These parasites are a threat through the wounds they inflict when sucking blood and the scratching of the skin surface caused by itching. They are very easy to get hold of and quite troublesome to get rid of.

• Lice: a very fast-moving animal, the shed hairs at the base of the hairs grow up in a matter of days to produce a new generation which enthusiastically reproduces. It thrives in the hair of the groin and under the arms, and even on the eyelashes. Removing the hairs reduces the danger, and you can get rid of them by using lice-killing products, by boiling clothes, bed linen and towels, and by hot rinsing.
• Rage: it feeds and reproduces by burrowing into the epithelium, making it much harder to get rid of than aphids.

Genital herpes

Caused by a virus that can be treated but not cured. A significant proportion of the adult population in Hungary is infected and only a proportion of them show symptoms. Infection occurs through direct contact with mucous membranes or epithelium through subtle lesions. If you are infected, you can expect to develop herpes several times a year. The incubation period is 3-10 days. At first, small, burning, painful blisters appear on the penis, vagina or rectum, these scar and heal in 2-4 weeks. In addition to making life miserable for the infected person, the infection increases the risk of contracting HIV by orders of magnitude. It is important to know that condoms do not provide complete protection against genital herpes.

Fungal infections

Fungal infections are indicated by reddish, itchy discolouration on the foreskin or glans of the penis in men and a thick, white, itchy discharge from the vagina in women. While easy to treat, if left untreated they open the door to many infections, including HIV, through continued irritation of the skin's epithelium.

Gonorrhoea

Caused by bacteria. Incubation period 2-10 days. Yellowish-greenish pus is discharged from the urethra and urination is painful and burning. It can also be transmitted during vaginal or anal intercourse and oral sex. It infects by touching the mucous membranes and causes symptoms where it affects the area. If a gonorrhoea-infected penis is sucked unprotected, the throat becomes infected, and if fucked, the vagina or rectum. In the vagina, rectum and throat, symptoms often do not appear for a long time, in which case the infection of the partner(s) is a warning sign.

It is tested by taking a sample from the throat, rectum, vagina or urethra, so it is important that if you suspect you have contracted the infection during anal sex, you should warn the doctor not to take a sample from your urethra.

Treatment is simple (an injection or a medicine containing antibiotics), but if you delay, the inflammation caused by the infection can lead to scarring that can cause infertility, urethral stricture that makes urination difficult, or visual impairment if the eye is infected. If left untreated, it spreads through the bloodstream and can cause severe joint damage.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections: condyloma

Warts caused by human papillomaviruses, which typically appear on the genitalia at the mucosal-skin junction (foreskin, labia, anus). If left untreated, they grow large, multiply and become cauliflower-like skin growths. They can also colonize the rectum, vagina and cervix. They are treated by brushing, or surgically if neglected or advanced. The incubation period is between one month and one year. There are more than 100 known variants: vaccination against the 4 most aggressive HPV variants is available. Vaccination is recommended mainly for people who have not yet started having sex. It is worth considering, as it is responsible for cervical cancer, but can also be the cause of cancers of the vulva and rectum.

Mononucleosis (kissing disease)

The disease is spontaneously cured or the virus remains latent in the human body, and the virus carriage cannot be eliminated by any medication. The incubation period is 4-6 weeks. It is primarily transmitted by saliva, but can also be transmitted by other bodily fluids such as semen and blood. Infection is most common through kissing, sexual intercourse, sharing glasses, cutlery, toothbrushes. Symptoms include extreme fatigue, a week of fever followed by a week without fever, sore throat, headache, pain in the head and limbs, lymph node enlargement in the neck, possibly also in the armpits, and rash. The disease resolves spontaneously after 2 to 4 weeks, but it is not uncommon for the course to last for several months to six months.

Syphilis (dysentery, lues)

Caused by bacteria. The incubation period for syphilis is 10-90 days, with symptoms usually appearing 14-28 days after infection. It is important to know that the symptoms of syphilis very often resemble other seemingly innocent diseases (such as skin rashes, acne, sore throat), so without a screening test, even a specialist can often have trouble diagnosing it. Testing is recommended 5-6 weeks after risky activity.

The course of the disease can be divided into three stages:

• Stage one: the first symptoms appear as painless ulcers at the site of infection (penis, vagina, rectum, mouth) and are usually accompanied by painless swelling of the surrounding lymph nodes. These ulcers seem to heal on their own after a few weeks. This is followed by an extended period of asymptomatic healing, which can last up to 6-8 months, but the patient remains infected throughout this period.
• Stage two: stage two is indicated by the appearance of rashes, ulcers, warts, fever, hair loss, generalized lymph node swelling. Most of the symptoms disappear spontaneously after 4-12 weeks, but the patient remains infected throughout this stage.
• Syphilis can still be successfully cured in the first and second stages, but it is good to know that syphilis treatment does not provide immunity, and you may catch it several times in your life. Treatment only requires a course of injections or medication, so if you suspect syphilis, have a syphilis test as soon as possible, but not earlier than 5-6 weeks after the suspected infection date and if positive, visit your local dermatologist immediately. If your lifestyle is a reason (e.g. you change partners frequently, have sex parties, etc.) and it is difficult to know when the last risky sexual contact occurred, you should have an HIV and syphilis test at least every three months.
• Latent/third stage (late syphilis): develops after five years, but usually after ten years. At this stage the infection is no longer curable, but the patient is no longer infected. Ulcers and nodules appear on the internal organs, cardiovascular problems, skeletal changes, brain damage and blindness precede death.

Trichomoniasis

This single-celled parasite is most commonly sexually transmitted and can cause yellowish-greenish, foamy, smelly discharge from the vagina and itchy skin, but it can also be caught from another person's wet towel or a toilet board used by many. In men, frequent urge to urinate and sensitivity of the urethra are warning signs of infection.

Viral hepatitis (hepatitis B, hepatitis C)

Viral hepatitis is a collective term for infectious liver diseases caused by various viruses. They have many similarities in their leading clinical signs, including hepatitis and jaundice, but their causative agents and the diseases they cause differ. The diseases in this group are named after the pathogens. Viral hepatitis is transmitted in two main forms, depending on the pathogen: hepatitis A and E via the alimentary tract (e.g. contaminated food), hepatitis B, C, D and the other viruses via blood and body fluids (semen, vaginal secretions, saliva). The hepatitis viruses are characterized by their ability to survive and remain infectious outside the body for extended periods.

• Hepatitis A: the disease starts with a fever lasting a few days, a feeling of lethargy, loss of appetite and jaundice. The clinical course is usually mild. The causative agent is the hepatitis A virus, which is transmitted by infected feces and can therefore be contracted during anal intercourse. The source of infection is the patient and the asymptomatic infected person. The incubation period is most often 28-30 days. Prevention requires protection and general hygiene. Vaccination is available and recommended for individuals at risk who change sexual partners frequently.
• Hepatitis B: the onset is slow, usually without fever. In the initial phase, the patient experiences fatigue, joint pain, loss of appetite, followed by jaundice. An acute complication is liver atrophy, which can be fatal. The infection can also become chronic. Late complications include cirrhosis and liver cancer. The causative agent is the hepatitis B virus. Sources of infection: acute and chronic patients and asymptomatic carriers. It is transmitted by blood, tissue fluids, secretions (semen, vaginal fluid, saliva). Incubation period: 45-180 days, most commonly 60-90 days. Asymptomatic carriers and chronic patients can be infectious for years, even for life! Vaccination is available and recommended for individuals at risk who change sexual partners frequently.
• Hepatitis C: the disease is usually mild, with jaundice occurring in a small proportion of cases. Asymptomatic or asymptomatic viral carriage occurs in 75-90% of infected people. Chronic disease is common and may lead to cirrhosis of the liver. The causative agent is the hepatitis C virus. Source of infection: the virus carrier and the sick person. It can be transmitted by infected blood, tissue fluids. Incubation period 14-180 days, most commonly 6-9 weeks. Vaccination is NOT available.