Men’s Health Issues-A Photo Essay

Although men do not represent the fastest growing HIV/AIDS patient population, they still account for most HIV infections. Most signs and symptoms associated with later-stage chronic HIV infection are long-term and systemic and can resemble those of cancer and other chronic illnesses. Seborrheic dermatitis, shown here, is one of the common dermatologic findings; others include folliculitis, herpes zoster, herpetic lesions, molluscum contagiosum, and Kaposi sarcoma.

Image courtesy of Megan R. Mahoney, MD and Jessica A. Fogler, MD.

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This lesion had appeared in the right groin of a 60-year-old man and had slowly enlarged. He had undergone total prostatectomy with lymph node dissection for prostate carcinoma 2 years earlier. Metastasis from the primary carcinoma in the prostate was considered the most likely diagnosis. Prostatic adenocarcinoma was confirmed with immunohistochemical staining with the antibody to prostate-specific antigen. Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among older men.

Image courtesy of Emily Stevens, Andrew DuBois, MD, and Ivan Damjanov, MD, PhD.

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A 33-year-old man had had an asymptomatic lesion on the head of his penis. The cause, lichen planus, is characterized by its violaceous color; polygonal shape; and, sometimes, fine scale. This papular eruption is found most frequently on the flexor surfaces of the upper extremities, on the genitalia, and on the mucous membranes. Genital involvement is common in men with cutaneous disease.

Image courtesy of David L. Kaplan, MD.

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Shown is the distal interphalangeal joint of a 76-year-old man with gouty arthritis and tophi. The affected finger is erythematous and tender, with chalky subcutaneous deposits. DIP articulations are a common location for gouty tophi. This was the patient's second acute attack of gout in 5 years; he was not taking any medication to maintain appropriate serum urate levels. Gout occurs about 3 times more frequently in men than in women.

Image courtesy of Douglas Kahn, MD, Mary Lou Courreg, MD, and Jonathan Stuart Crane, MD.

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A 35-year-old man presented with a scaling rash on the penis of several weeks' duration. A positive potassium hydroxide examination confirmed dermatophyte infection. These infections are rare in the penis and scrotum compared with those that involve the groin. Underlying conditions that can produce an immunocompromised state should be investigated, including diabetes mellitus.

Image courtesy of David L. Kaplan, MD.

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