A Spanish study points to the new dermatological characteristics of monkeypox: fewer skin lesions, but in areas of sexual contact

• Health "Given the increase in cases, the truth is that we must be prepared for a trickle of deaths from now on"

• Monkeypox The latest news from the infectious outbreak

The characteristics of the current global outbreak of monkeypox are beginning to be defined.

In

, according to the latest Health bulletin last Tuesday.

In order to better understand the signs of the disease, the different forms of contagion and signs on the skin are studied.

Now, a review by the Spanish Association of Dermatology and Venereology (AEVD) of 185 cases of monkeypox, published in the

, ensures that the main characteristics of the current outbreak differ from previous cases.

Dermatologists are and have been responsible for identifying infections in most cases.

The first infections have been identified

.

These skin lesions are described as pseudopustules, which appear similar to pustules (pus-filled lesions), but are actually solid whitish papules.

Monkeypox has initially spread among men who have sex with men and may coincide with other sexually transmitted diseases.

It should be noted that while at a global level, as the WHO has pointed out, 98% of contagion takes place during sexual intercourse,

.

Thus, the AEDV spokespersons highlight their role in the preparation of future protocols, since, although

and become visible through a generalized rash that progresses through four distinct stages.

Early symptoms remain common in this outbreak, but

What are the new features of monkeypox on the skin?

In this sense, Alba Catalá, dermatologist at the Dermatology Service of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and main author of the study, states in a note that "

. This can include lesions in the pharynx, anal canal, face and fingers".

On the other hand, and contrary to what was previously described, this study shows that the possible dermatological lesions that may appear due to the disease are not pustules, but

Here, Petunia Clavo, a dermatologist at the Sandoval Center in Madrid and another of the authors of the research, stresses that "this finding is important because

."

However, Clavo has also ensured that some of these papules become necrotic and can lead to genital ulcers, which "makes diagnosis difficult due to its similarity to other diseases."

Why does a link to sexually transmitted infections persist?

In the work, it is ruled out that suffering from

, in the same way that patients with it must be studied to rule out other sexually transmitted diseases.

In fact,

and up to 52% reported a previous STI in the last year.

In addition, other conclusions of the investigation reflect, although with less certainty, that

(42% of the participants have the virus)

(only 10% had been born before 1972)

of injuries in the study patients.

As in other works, an attempt has been made to draw

In this sense, the cases studied were fundamentally made up of

and were associated with frequent risk behaviors for acquiring sexually transmitted diseases (55% use social networks to look for contacts and 34% use drugs while having sexual relations). ).

However, Catalá considers the probability that this will change over time: "

, but currently efforts to protect against the disease should focus on this group."

This fact is supported by the data recorded by Health.

Despite the two deaths recorded in our country, it should be noted that none of them participated in the present study.

"

and hospitalization was rare. However, a small risk of death has been described,

, including scarring in visible areas. ", specifies Catalá.

In the conclusions, the authors state that more research is needed to better understand when patients become most infectious, and the precautionary advice is clear: "Although we are not sure when patients become infectious,

can help reduce the risk of getting the disease.

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