fever

  • How true is the claim that one can be allergic to semen?

    Claim: A post made by Dr. Damian Avar (@therealsabidoctor) claimed that persons experiencing burning sensation, fever after sex may be allergic to semen.

    The claim is partially true. Although rare, it is possible to be allergic to semen, specifically to the proteins found in sperm.

    Full Text

    Having an allergy can be a nuisance and affect one’s everyday activities, but most allergic reactions are mild and can be largely kept under control. Severe reactions can occasionally occur, but these are uncommon.

    Recently, a post made by QEDaily claimed that persons experiencing burning sensations, fever after sex may be allergic to semen.

    The post attributed the claim to a medical doctor and sex consultant, Dr. Damian Avar, also known as “Sabi Doctor” who said men who develop a fever or feel a bit sick after releasing their semen could also be experiencing semen allergy.

      Screenshot of the Instagram post

    The Instagram post as of November 8, 2021, has 34, 957 views.

    Verification

    An allergy  is an immune system response to a foreign substance that’s not typically harmful to a person’s body. A substance that causes an allergic reaction is called an allergen. Many allergens are everyday substances that are harmless to most people. Moreover, anything can be an allergen if the immune system has a specific type of adverse reaction to it. 

    Allergy comes with different symptoms that are not new to the body system. Some of the allergic reactions come with inflammation and irritation. And the signs and symptoms depend on the type of allergen that unleashes the attack. It might occur in the gut, skin, sinuses, airways, eyes, and nasal passages. 

    The immune system is part of the body and is composed of cells and their chemicals that work together to keep the body free of injurious agents such as infections. The immune response is not because of the noxious nature of the allergen but because of a misdirected recognition of the substance as harmful.

    Any substance which is recognized by the immune system is an antigen. In the case of people with allergies, the allergens are picked up by certain cells, called antigen-presenting cells that process them and allow them to be recognized by and to alert the innate immune system to their presence.

    A photo showing types of allergies                  PhotoCredit: Medindia

    In addition to other symptoms, dust and pollen allergy could come with blocked nose, itchy eyes and nose, runny nose, swollen and watery eyes, cough and others.

    Skin reactions include flaking, itching, peeling of skin and rashes, among others, while food allergy is characterised by vomiting, swollen tongue, tingling in the mouth, swelling of the lips, face, and throat, stomach cramps, shortness of breath and rectal bleeding, among others.

    There is also insect sting, which could also come with wheezing, swelling at the site of the sting, drop in blood pressure, itchy skin, shortness of breath, restlessness, hives, a red and very itchy rash that spreads across the body, dizziness, cough, chest tightness, anxiety and possible anaphylaxis, which usually is the last stage of conditions of allergy.

    Semen Allergies

    A semen allergy, otherwise known as human seminal plasma hypersensitivity (HSP), is an allergic reaction to the proteins found in most men’s sperm.

    It is said to be a rare allergic reaction to proteins found in a man’s semen and it mostly affects women. 

    Studies show that it is possible to be allergic to your own semen. And when this happens, it is known as a post-orgasmic illness syndrome.

    A reproductive health expert, Dr. Ademola Ayodele, said it is possible to be allergic to semen as parts of the body in contact with the semen will begin to react unfavourably.

    “It is possible to be allergic to semen, but where that burning sensation is might be different from what a layman thinks, the burning sensation will be in the private part; that is where the semen has touched. However, the fact that a woman reacts to semen does not mean she is allergic to all semen, there could just be antibodies raised in a particular individual’s semen, and that is why sometimes a woman finds it difficult to get pregnant for a particular person but when she exchanges partner, it is discovered that she is able to get pregnant,” he said.

    He added that although possible, cases of a woman being allergic to semen are very rare.

    “Such cases are very rare and the word allergy is very serious because it simply means that if not treated, it would keep disturbing the woman and she may die from it.”

    The Chief Medical Director of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital UNIMEDTH, Dr. Adesina Akintan, said the claim that experiencing a burning sensation or fever after sex could be a sign of being allergic to semen is false.

    “Being allergic to semen after sex is not true, there is nothing like that; it is not true. If the woman develops some symptoms after sex, it might be due to other factors and not because she is allergic to semen,’ he added.

    A gynecologist, Dr. Joel Sola Akande, said there is a distant possibility that the claim is true.

    He added, ‘If the victim was infected before sex, then it has nothing to do with semen, but semen generally speaking does not cause allergy except in rare cases and under certain circumstances. It is a distant possibility for people to be allergic to semen.’

    According to a study by the International society for sexual medicine (ISSM), sperm allergy is a rare allergic reaction whose symptoms include, redness, swelling, pain, itching, and a burning sensation in the vaginal areas. The symptoms usually start about 10-30 minutes after contact with semen.

    Although the symptoms may not be confined to the vaginal area, they can occur in any area that has contact with semen, including the skin and mouth.

    The study further added that for some women, the symptoms are localized; meaning they stay in one major area, and for others, the symptoms can affect their whole body. They may have hives, swelling, trouble breathing, or anaphylaxis- a life-threatening allergic reaction.

    Another report reveals that systematic reactions are experienced as dyspnea, dysphagia,  rhinoconjunctivitis complaints, generalized urticaria, angioedema, gastrointestinal symptoms, exacerbation of existing atopic eczema, or anaphylactic shock.

    The report added that it has been reported that semen allergy may present ‘vulvar vestibulitis syndrome’ or ‘burning semen syndrome.’ These symptoms may occur during the first sexual intercourse. And some results are indicative of allergens originating from the prostate, prostate-specific antigen being clinically relevant.

    Conclusion

    Although rare, it is possible to be allergic to semen, specifically to the proteins found in sperm. And although the symptoms may not be confined to the vaginal area, they can occur in any area that has contact with semen, including the skin and mouth.

    The researcher produced this fact check article per the Dubawa 2021 Kwame KariKari Fellowship partnership with Crest FM to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

  • Is typhoid fever caused by stress? Medical experts say NO

    Claim: Too much stress causes typhoid

    No. Stress does not cause typhoid as some Nigerians claim

    Full Text

    In Nigeria, it has become a common assumption that whenever a person is sick and diagnosed with typhoid, it is often attributed to stress and such a person would be advised to try to rest well.

    A Twitter user known as Code and vibes (@pharuc1) wrote that the stress from commuting from mainland Lagos to Island has made him sick with typhoid. 

    A tweet claiming stress causes typhoid

    He wrote, “Abeg who dey work for Island wey dey ply Oshodi, Gbagada or Oworo? make i join am abeg, i don’t mind paying monthly ‘owo epo”… 

    Just one week from mainland to island stress, full blown typhoid knocked me down.”

    Another tweeter known as Oyindamola ( @portable_wendy1), who lamented of not being paid by her boss in a thread of tweets, narrated that she got down with typhoid as a result of the stress she went through having commuted from Sango-Ota, Ogun State to Yaba, Lagos State. 

    Oyindamola wrote, “On the 25th of September, I fell seriously ill & I was rushed to the hospital. After a series of tests; I was diagnosed with typhoid due to stress. I was going from Ota to Yaba every single day and my mum helped me with transport fare.”

    Another tweet stating that typhoid is caused by typhoid

    Verification

    Typhoid explained

     According to the  popular medical news website, MedicalNewsToday, typhoid is a bacterial infection that can lead to a high fever, diarrhea, and vomiting. It can be fatal. It is caused by the bacteria salmonella typhi.

    The infection is often passed on through contaminated food and drinking water, and it is more prevalent in places where handwashing is less frequent. It can also be passed on by carriers who do not know they carry the bacteria.

    Typhoid: Symptoms, treatment, causes, and prevention
    Typhoid bacteria. Source: medicalnews.com

    In the same manner, webmd.com describes typhoid as an acute illness associated with fever caused by the salmonella enterica serotype typhi bacteria. It can also be caused by salmonella paratyphi, a related bacterium that usually causes a less severe illness. The bacteria are deposited in water or food by a human carrier and are then spread to other people in the area.

    According to Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine, typhoid incidence ranges from 3.9% to 18.6%.

    How Do People Get Typhoid Fever?

    A gastroenterologist, Dr. Seyi Akande, explained in an interview with this fact-checker that typhoid is contracted when infected faeces contaminate the food, hand or drink of another person. According to him, the microorganism responsible for that typhoid known as salmonella gets into the body through the mouth and gets out through faeces.

    He explained, “Salmonella typhi is a microorganism that is found in faeces. So, whenever you have an unhygienic condition there are chances of spread of typhoid.  For instance, if the water is close to where the toilet is or people that are handling food go to the toilet and don’t wash their hands. Or people that have long nails allow faeces and dirt to hide under the nails and use those hands to cook food then one can get infected by eating the food. That is why it is important to do typhoid tests for food handlers before you certify fit to offer food service. 

    “Anything that will make people ingest food or water that is contaminated through the mouth can lead to typhoid, even though it is not every time that people get down with the disease because the body has a general way of fighting these diseases. For instance, the stomach is acidic so this acidity kills a lot of these typhoid bacteria. But if they are many, some can escape this acidity and get to the small intestine then to the body.  Unhygienic conditions lead to typhoid,” Dr. Akande added.

    How Is Typhoid Fever Diagnosed?

    The gastroenterologist further explained that typhoid is diagnosed first and foremost by the symptoms the patient presents. If the patients have continuous fever, not the intermittent one. 

    The intermittent fever can come in the morning and you don’t see it again in the evening, that is common to malaria but the typhoid fever is continuous. Also, a person with typhoid will have headache, commonly they will have abdominal pain. Sometimes, they could have constipation or pass stool less frequently. They may also have diarrhea. Usually because we are dark skin, we might not easily see the rashes that typhoid causes but in those that are light skinned, you will suspect that a patient is having typhoid. 

    Image depicting typhoid fever. Source:thehealthSite.com

    Dr. Akande added, “Then there are tests that you can then do. For instance, you can take blood samples of the patient and do salmonella typhi not that widal test. You can take the stool or urine of the patient depending on how long the patient has been having symptoms whether the first, second week, or whenever. 

    What is the relationship between typhoid and stress?

    Akande said that the foregoing question is one of the problems in Nigeria with the diagnosis of typhoid. 

    He stated, “We call some doctors malaria-typhoid doctors because once there is fever; they will think it is either malaria or typhoid.  It is good to think of malaria because it is common in our community but it is not every fever that is typhoid. The notion that whenever you treat malaria and it doesn’t go then you have typhoid is very wrong.”

    In the same vein, Dr Tunji Akintade, a general physician and the immediate past president of the Lagos Chapter of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, also corroborated his colleague that typhoid is an infection caused by bacteria called salmonella. 

    He further explained that the signs and symptoms of this disease are fever(hotness of the body), severe headache, abdominal pain among others.

    “Complications that can arise from it include intestinal perforation, psychosis and severe anaemia. All these(disease + complications) are stressor to the human body. Let me categorically state for educational purposes. Diagnosis of typhoid is both clinical and laboratory. The laboratory aspect of it is blood culture, not widal test,” the medical practitioner explained.  

    Akintade explained that the corresponding response will be based on clinical evidence seen. These responses may include further investigation or intervention which can be surgery,  blood transfusion, or even all of the above.

    He said, “prevention of this illness is basically water hygiene not drugs. Vaccines has also been useful.”

    What is stress?

    The doctor explained, “Stress itself is defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension caused by adverse (physical, biological or chemical) circumstances.

    “Stress on its own can easily be handled by identifying the stressor which like I said above can be biological, physical or chemical. Once you identify it, you remove it before it tampers with your emotional or mental state.

    “Resting plays a major role in all stressor but it has to be in addition to removing the stressor. When you rest, you conserve energy, build up your immunity and your protein store and you get well hydrated.”

    An image depicting stress. Source: HealthSIte.com

    Does stress really cause typhoid?

    Akande empathetically said that stress does not in any way cause typhoid. 

     He said, “Typhoid is not caused by stress. Typhoid is caused by a biological organism called salmonella. It is the cause of typhoid that is a biological stressor.

    “In the above subject matter, the cause of typhoid is biological (bacteria) triggering chemical and emotional circumstances.”

    Conclusion

    Typhoid is not caused by stress, rather it is caused by a microorganism known as salmonella typhi.

    The researcher produced this fact-check per the Dubawa 2021 Kwame KariKari Fellowship partnership with The PUNCH to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

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