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Environments of Health and Disease in Tropical Africa before the Colonial Era
Published in Lori Jones, Disease and the Environment in the Medieval and Early Modern Worlds, 2022
Notwithstanding Andrew Cunningham’s (2002) now-classic warning against interpreting past diseases in modern terms, we should examine the symptoms reported by the three traveller-writers. De Gémozac’s brief description of the men’s illness suggests that they suffered from gross haematuria (blood in urine visible to the naked eye). Red-coloured urine and Brun’s mention of blood in the men’s semen – a condition known as haematospermia – are symptoms consistent with a parasitic, mostly non-lethal infection known in modern medical terms as schistosomiasis, and more specifically its urogenital variant.5 People become infected with the parasite while bathing, swimming, or wading in waters infested with larvae of trematode worms (Schistosoma haematobium or S. guineensis in the case of urogenital infection) released by freshwater snails. What we know of its evolutionary history as a human parasite suggests that it was already present in Africa in the pre-modern period and transmitted to tropical America by the slave trade (Noya et al. 2015; Webster et al. 2006).
Prostate Cancer
Published in Pat Price, Karol Sikora, Treatment of Cancer, 2020
Malcolm Mason, Howard Kynaston
Bulky local or locally advanced disease can give rise to LUTS or more rarely, to other pelvic symptoms such as rectal pain, bleeding or constipation due to rectal involvement, and deep perineal discomfort due to peri-prostatic soft-tissue involvement. The last-mentioned seems to be a feature of “PSA-negative” prostate cancers, i.e. those that produce lower amounts of PSA, such that serum PSA levels are disproportionately low for the stage of disease. Hemospermia is more common as a symptom of locally advanced disease than is recognized, but most cases of hemospermia have causes other than prostate cancer.
Semen Analysis
Published in Botros Rizk, Ashok Agarwal, Edmund S. Sabanegh, Male Infertility in Reproductive Medicine, 2019
Meaghanne K. Caraballo, Alyssa M. Giroski, Rakesh Sharma, Ashok Agarwal
After liquefaction, semen samples undergo a macroscopic analysis. Normal semen sample is opaque in appearance and homogenous. If the specimen has a clear appearance, the patient’s sperm concentration may be too low or possibly even azoospermic. On the other hand, if it has a reddish-brown appearance, then there may be red blood cells present. Hematospermia (i.e., appearance of blood in the semen) can be attributed to a variety of factors such as infection or inflammation in any area of the male reproductive system, excessive masturbation, obstruction, tumors, or polyps. Certain pharmaceutical drugs and medical conditions (e.g., jaundice or prostate infection) can cause an abnormal appearance of the semen. Urine contamination can alter the appearance of semen to a yellowish color.
Unusual presentation of epidermoid cyst from testis in an aging male
Published in The Aging Male, 2020
Hematospermia is a benign and self-limiting situation but blood in semen may result in severe anxiety in patients. It is almost idiopathic but probable risk factors should be investigated such as age, duration of the symptoms, recurrence, additional complaints, systemic diseases, and blood disorders. Taking in the consideration the risk of testicular tumors, scrotal examination is essential. Infections and inflammatory processes account for 40% hematospermia causes in patients younger than 40 years. Benign prostatic hypertrophy and inflammatory diseases of prostate such as prostatitis may also cause hematospermia as well as rare diseases such as primary adenocarcinoma of the seminal vesicle [8]. In addition, it may be the initial symptom of testicular tumors [9]. Malignancies should be kept in mind in individuals, especially older than 40 years, suffering from recurrent hematospermia with other symptoms [10]. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a testicular epidermoid cyst presenting with hematospermia in literature.
Persistent hematospermia: seminal vesicle bleed*
Published in The Aging Male, 2020
Hematospermia can be distressing and alarming for many sexually active male patients and their partners. It is reported that hematospermia make up about 1% of all urological symptoms [1]. The two commonest causes of hematospermia are trauma – which could be secondary to prostate biopsy, cystoscopy, brachytherapy, and pelvic injury – and infections [2,3]. Other causes include malignancy of the male genitourinary system and seminal vesicle stones while other rare causes include severe arterial hypertension, bleeding diathesis, and liver cirrhosis. More often than not, no exact cause of hematospermia can be found. Therefore, it is pertinent to allay patients’ anxiety and reassure them [3].