The monkeypox virus has mutated since previous epidemics, say British researchers.
A recent study revealed significant differences in the monkeypox symptoms between the current epidemic and previous ones. Ppublished in the British medical journal British Medical Journal, she compared the symptoms of patients in London, UK, with those of previous outbreaks.
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Close to 200 confirmed cases of monkeypox were included in the study, from an infectious disease center based in the English capital and made up of patients who presented with symptoms between May and July 2022. Of these cases, 196 were identified as homosexual, bisexual, or men who have sex with men.
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What are these two new symptoms?
What challenged the researchers was the discovery of two new, previously unknown symptoms of monkeypox. These are penis swelling (due to edema) and rectal pain. Of the patients studied, 71 patients reported rectal pain and 31 penile edema.
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Thus, the authors suggest that Monkeypox be considered as a potential diagnosis in patients with swelling of the penis and rectal pain.