Trichomoniasis in men: symptoms, treatment, complications
Trichomoniasis is an infection that belongs to the STD group. The high frequency of diagnosing the disease in men is provoked by scant symptoms and a high risk of infection through sexual intercourse. In most patients, the infection does not manifest itself in anything and is detected already when complications appear.
Distinguish between acute and chronic course of trichomoniasis, affecting the organs and tissues of the genitourinary system. A well-performed treatment of the infection will destroy its pathogen and help reduce the risk of serious complications.
A minimum of symptoms in the early stages of trichomoniasis leads to its transition to the chronic stage. The complications that have appeared, in particular, inflammation of the prostate, bring the man to the doctor's office.
Features of the course of trichomoniasis in men - sexual transmission of infection, paucity of symptoms, high susceptibility.
Content:
- The causative agent of trichomoniasis
- Diagnosis of trichomoniasis in men
- Symptoms of trichomoniasis in men
- Treatment of trichomoniasis in men
- Prevention of trichomoniasis in men
The causative agent of trichomoniasis
Trichomonas, or Trichomonas, belongs to the genus of the simplest microorganisms. Single-celled parasites of this class in the human body carry out their activities without oxygen. The body temperature is optimal for their reproduction.
Vaginal Trichomonas is most often found on the mucous membrane of the genitourinary system, although it parasitizes both in the blood and in other organs. This microorganism from the genus of protozoa introduces viruses and bacteria into its cells - the causative agents of herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, candidiasis, ureaplasmosis, cytomegalovirus. This feature protects pathogenic bacteria from the effects of drugs and the protective cells of the immune system.
Due to this property, causative agents of dangerous infections spread through tissues and organs, reduce immunity, and cause complications. Damage to the mucous epithelium of the genitourinary tract opens the gate to other, more dangerous infections. So, for example, the combination of trichomoniasis with the defeat of the AIDS virus is often diagnosed.
Diagnosis of trichomoniasis in men
To confirm trichomoniasis in men, the doctor uses instrumental and laboratory methods. Visual examination and study of the history cannot provide a complete clinical picture.
Methods for laboratory diagnosis of trichomoniasis:
- Bacterioscopic analysis of smears of their urethra;
- Cultivation of the pathogen in a nutrient medium;
- PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method;
- The PIF method is a study of the patient's blood for antibodies to trichomoniasis.
The difficulty in determining the pathogen in the male body may lie in the fact that in some cases Trichomonas takes the form of an amoeba.
Symptoms of trichomoniasis in men
Trichomoniasis carries out its activity in the male body in the following organs: in the prostate, urethra, epididymis, in the seminal vesicles. The latent course of the disease in most men leads to the fact that they unwittingly become active carriers of the disease, infecting their sexual partners with trichomoniasis.
Complications of a latent infection:
- Chronic prostatitis;
- Infertility;
- Non-gonococcal urethritis;
- Inflammation of the epididymis in a chronic form.
From the introduction of the infection into the body to the manifestation of its active symptoms in men, it takes from 2 days to 5-6 months. The impetus for the activation of the process is a decrease in immunity, infection with other infectious diseases.
Forms of trichomoniasis:
- sharp,
- subacute,
- chronic,
- asymptomatic carriage of Trichomonas (more often diagnosed in men).
Symptoms accompanying urination with trichomoniasis:
- painful stinging and burning;
- false frequent urges in the morning;
- a small amount of mucous discharge from the urethra.
Most often, these symptoms of trichomoniasis are very mild in men. Intense sensations are very rarely diagnosed, it is they who most often lead to seeking emergency medical help. Chronic prostatitis, acquired before infection with trichomoniasis, can mask the picture of the disease. In this case, the patient takes the exacerbation of the infection for symptoms of prostatitis.
Symptoms of Trichomonas urethritis:
- Mucopurulent discharge;
- Itching and burning after intercourse and after urination;
- Urethral infiltrates and stricture;
- Difficulty intermittent urination due to narrowing of the urethra;
- Kidney and bladder damage;
- Ulcerative lesion of the mucous membrane of the urethra and the median suture (occurs with reduced immunity).
Symptoms of prostate damage with trichomoniasis:
- False urge to urinate;
- Frequent urination accompanied by pain;
- Feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder;
- Drawing pain in the prostate.
The acute stage of trichomoniasis in men becomes chronic without treatment, or the patient becomes a carrier of Trichomonas. In the chronic course of the disease, symptoms practically do not appear. Sexual function may slightly suffer, dysuria with mild pain may appear. Carriage of the disease is asymptomatic.
Complications of trichomoniasis
The prolonged course of the disease leads to the development of complications:
- Prostatitis,
- Pyelonephritis
- Inflammation of the seminal vesicles and seminal tubercle,
- Cystitis,
- Inflammation of the excretory ducts of the prostate;
- Infertility.
There is evidence of medical research on the effect of trichomoniasis on the development of malignant prostate lesions
American researchers from the E. D. Saitman Cancer Center have established a direct link between prostate cancer and long-term course of trichomoniasis in men. They hypothesize that infection increases the risk of prostate cancer by 40%. Studies have established a link between the ongoing disease and the protooncogene PIM 1. Over time, this gene is capable of converting into a prostate cancer oncogene.
To analyze the intensity of damage to the male body by trichomoniasis, you can use the ELISA method, which determines the presence of antibodies to Trichomonas in the blood.
Treatment of trichomoniasis in men
Drugs against trichomoniasis in men are prescribed by a doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of the body. Self-medication leads to the transition of the disease into a latent form or to the addition of complications, an atypical course of the infection.
With trichomoniasis in men, treatment should be done for any symptoms of the disease, regardless of whether signs of infection are expressed or not.
Principles of treating trichomoniasis in men:
- Drug therapy is carried out in both sexual partners, even with negative diagnostic results. This approach is explained by the instability of local immunity and the high risk of re-infection.
- Any form of trichomoniasis should be treated regardless of symptoms.
- The duration of drug therapy is on average 8 to 12 days. These periods are extended in the presence of complications and a protracted course of the infection.
The main active ingredient in drugs for trichomoniasis is 5-nitroimidazole.
Medicines for use in tablet form:
- Metronidazole;
- Ornidazole;
- Tinidazole;
- Ternidazole;
- Nimorazole.
For topical application, creams with nitroimidazoles are used: Rozex, Rosamet. They do not replace, but complement drug therapy with pills. All of these drugs are incompatible with alcoholic beverages. They cannot be combined during treatment and for a month after it.
The effectiveness of drugs for the treatment of trichomoniasis, complicated by a long course:
| Number of patients | Drug name | Clinical recovery is an absolute number | Clinical recovery in% |
| 44 | Ornidazole + Tenonitrozole | 43 | 97.7% |
| 49 | Ornidazole | 45 | 93.3% |
| 126 | Tenonitrozole | 113 | 89.7% |
| 56 | Nimorazole | 48 | 85.7% |
| 43 | Tinidazole | nineteen | 44.1% |
| 52 | Metronidazole | 21 | 40.4% |
Additionally, in the treatment of complicated forms of trichomoniasis in men, drugs from various drug groups are used:
- Immunomodulators (Kagocel);
- Hepatoprotectors;
- Antispasmodics and analgesics for pain relief;
- Antibiotics for mixed infections;
- Antifungal drugs for the treatment of candidiasis.
Monitoring the effectiveness of the treatment is carried out 6-7 days after its completion. Diagnostic methods: cultivation in a nutrient medium (inoculation), examination of the smear under a microscope, analysis by PCR.
Prevention of trichomoniasis in men
Preventive measures against contracting trichomoniasis are similar to the prevention of any STD:
- Regular visits to the doctor for a detailed examination;
- Using condoms during sexual intercourse;
- Disinfection of the penis in case of accidental damage to the condom during intimacy;
- Refusal of self-medication when signs of infection appear.
Following these measures and following the doctor's recommendations in case of infection with trichomoniasis will prevent the spread of infection.
Author of the article: Lebedev Andrey Sergeevich | Urologist
Education: Diploma in the specialty "Andrology" received after completing residency at the Department of Endoscopic Urology of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education in the urological center of the Central Clinical Hospital No. 1 of JSC Russian Railways (2007). Postgraduate studies were completed here by 2010.
