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Tobacco Users Have Increased Risk of Sexually Transmitted Infection

by Vishnuprasad on Oct 14 2014 6:30 PM
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People who use tobacco are more susceptible to oral human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16), which is a sexually transmitted infection, revealed a new US research.

Researchers state that oral HPV-16 is one of the main reasons for the increase in incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers.

The study observed a connection between self-reported number of cigarettes currently smoked per day and oral HPV prevalence.

Carole Fakhry from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and along with her research team examined connections between objective biomarkers reflective of all present tobacco exposures (environmental, smoking, and use of smoke­less tobacco) and oral HPV-16 prevalence.

The scientists used results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a probability sample of the U.S. population. Mobile examination center participants aged between 14 and 69 years were eligible for oral HPV DNA examination.

The analysis included 6,887 NHANES participants, of them 28.6% (2,012 people) were current tobacco users and 1% (63) had oral HPV-16 detected.

The results showed that current tobacco users were more likely than nonusers to be male, younger, uneducated, and to have a higher number of lifetime oral sexual partners.

Researchers conclude that self-reported and biological measures of tobacco exposure as well as oral sexual behavior were significantly linked with prevalent oral HPV-16 infection. Oral human papillomavirus type 16 prevalence was greater in present tobacco users (2.0 percent) compared with never or former tobacco users (0.6%).

Effect of Smoking Cigarettes

Tobacco contains more than 7,000 chemicals and about 70 of them can cause cancer. Smoking cigarettes is one of the main risk factors for lung cancer. It is also known to cause cancer in the trachea, bronchus, esophagus, oral cavity, lip, nasopharynx, nasal cavity, larynx, stomach, bladder, pancreas, kidney, liver, uterine cervix, colon and rectum.

* Do Light Cigarettes Cause Cancer?

Cigarettes labeled as ‘lights,’ and ‘milds,’ are considered to have a ‘lighter,’ less pronounced flavor than regular cigarettes. However, there is no such thing as a safe cigarette. People who smoke any kind of cigarette are at an increased risk for tobacco-related diseases.

* Do Menthol Cigarettes Cause Cancer?

A menthol cigarette is a cigarette flavored with the compound menthol. Many people think menthol cigarettes are less harmful, but there is no proof that these cigarettes are safer than regular cigarettes. Like other cigarettes, menthol cigarettes harm nearly every organ in the human body and cause many diseases, including cancer, heart diseases, and respiratory diseases.

Source-Medindia


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