Long lasting symptoms after sexual encounter

[smithsonian10]

Dear Dr Handsfield,

I caught an undiagnosed virus/infection after an unprotected sexual encounter nearly a year ago that affects my life on a daily basis.

2-6 days after event with random girl: Itchy scrotum.
1-2 weeks: intense tingling in my groin/anal area and down legs, so bad I could hardly walk. Tongue: teeth marks around it, taste buds red and inflamed, white sores in mouth. Lymph node in my groin swollen. Need to urinate excessively, with post urination drip. Severe dehydration. A tremor/trapped wind feeling(!) in my perineum area and all over muscle twitching.
4 weeks: Horrendous stomach cramps/acid reflux. Deep groin pain which was followed - in the same area - by a few hard, pus filled pimples, which were very sensitive to touch and left scars. Night sweats. Rashes on chest. Allergy symptoms - tingling feeling in face, rash around mouth and nose, red and itchy right eye.
Long lasting symptoms, that effect me daily: sensitivity to cold around my nose and face; stinging eye (eye doctor said allergies, even though I have never had any before); perineum/generalised twitching; sore throat for two months.

I know this is contagious as I have passed it on to someone else who suffers from similar symptoms.

I was checked out at 3 weeks by an infectious disease specialist (before some of the major symptoms started). He just found slightly elevated creatinine levels, swollen lymph node in groin and dehydration in stools. HTLV negative at 2 months. STD checks done again at 6 months.

This led me to Medhelp where I was shocked to read similar stories. So, my questions are:

- What do my symptoms point towards/what else could I test for? My health was perfect before this!
- HSV?
- Is it possible that I could have caught an unknown virus?
- Do you think there's anything in the stories emanating from China about an HIV-like disease?
- I want to have children soon. Is there the potential this type of virus could cause birth problems?

Thank you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

These comments don't change my opinion or advice.

This China syndrome buisness really isn't very credible.  Among other things, the 5 "sources" linked at the bottom of the website all are non-scientific -- they look like personal opinion blogs.  I would also add that the term "AIDS-like" seems questionable, at least based on the symptoms described.  Until something more credible appears in the scientific medical literature, I will remain skeptical.  Further googling also suggests that if such a thing really exists, it is not communicable and probably not due to any virus, sexually transmitted or otherwise.  For example, see the link below:

http://www.examiner.com/article/aids-like-disease-affecting-asians-mimics-hiv-not-contagious

[smithsonian10]

Thanks for your considered response Dr Handsfield.

The condition I was referring to in China can be read about here: https://sites.google.com/site/newhivaidslikeviruschina/home

Just seems to be the only thing that fits with my experience.

Your comments are somewhat reassuring. However, whilst I imagine a few of the symptoms (eg stomach problems, twitching, night sweats etc) are exacerbated by stress, could the mind create the terrible tongue problems, swollen nodes, dehydration in stools, urination issues, burning eye etc?

I've had many, many partners (nearly always protected) in the past and not even an itch! This was just another sexual encounter to me, until these symptoms which made me very ill for a few months and continue to affect me.

The person experiencing similar problems knew nothing of my case and became very ill with an "unknown virus" after we slept together, followed by allergy type problems, mouth sores, stomach cramps etc. It's a little confusing and worrying as I'm sure you can images!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the forum.  Thanks for your question, and for reviewing other questions similar to yours.

I'm afraid I don't accept your opening premise:  I'm confident your symptoms are not due to any infection from the sexual encounter you are concerned about.  There are no STDs, viral or otherwise, that can explain all your symptoms.  For sure no STD casues itching of the scrotum, tingling in the groin or legs, the urinary symptoms you report, stomach cramps, acid reflux, or the facial symptoms described.  Indeed, as an infectious diseases specialist, I cannot think of any infection of any kind that could possibly explain all those manifestations.

As for the apparent "contagious" nature of the symptoms, because they cannot be easily attributed to any single condition, I'm equally confident you haven't transmitted a causative factor to anyone else.

My advice is to make a follow-up appointment with the ID specialist.  However, I will point out that multiple symptoms of this sort, involving several body systems, usually end up having a psychological origin -- and you might anticipate a similar opinion from the ID doc -- or your primary care physician, if one has been involved in evaluating this problem.  Is there a reason to be guilty or anxious about the sexual exposure that seemed to start all this?  While you may indeed have seen other descriptions of similar illnesses on MedHelp, any discussions of this sort of thing on this particular forum have always had consistent responses from Dr. Hook and me about the likely emotional/psychological explanation.

Those comments pretty well cover your first question.  HSV definitely is not in the picture for any of the symptoms you have described, including the initial itching, tingling, etc -- herpes lesions may itch or tingle, but otherwise herpes doesn't cause these things, despite what you may have read online or elsewhere.  I cannot imagine an "unknown virus" as the cause of all these symptoms.  I have not heard of "stories emanating from China about an HIV-like disease".

Finally, there is nothing in these symptoms that makes me at all concerned about safely fathering children or having sex with new partners.

I hope these comments have been helpful. Best wishes--  HHH, MD