Emergency departments have seen an increase in the number of patients with penile fractures and other sexual incidents this year.
Tens of thousands sought help to remove a “foreign body” from intimate areas, NHS data showed.
Overall, “problems” with the penis and vagina increased by a third within a year.
Analysis showed that more people visited the emergency room after becoming infected with sexually transmitted infections and experiencing problems such as prolonged erections.
It’s part of a growing trend of patients with more unusual illnesses visiting the nation’s emergency rooms — including an eightfold increase in the number of people suffering from suspected caffeine poisoning.
NHS data shows number of men and women needing treatment for injuries during sex has risen (stock)
The rise of coffee culture led to 142 people seeking help for caffeine poisoning in 2022/2023, compared to just 18 the year before.
Meanwhile, diseases that would have been eradicated in Britain – such as smallpox and typhoid – have also risen from seven and 94 cases respectively in 2021 to 50 and 215 respectively last year, although they are likely to have been transferred abroad.
Medical leaders said it was further evidence of how overwhelmed emergency rooms, which typically treat more than a million patients each month, are.
Dr Tim Cooksley, chairman of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “This data demonstrates once again the diversity of presentations that NHS teams manage every day.”
“These patients have fundamentally urgent conditions that require timely and serious care, and as with so many patients right now, this cannot be achieved in overburdened urgent and urgent care environments that are extremely painful for patients.”
EXCLUSIVEREAD MORE: How much did YOUR hospital make in parking costs last year? The worst NHS trusts are named and shamed as analysis shows their profits have risen sixtyfold
On average, 45,000 people in England visit emergency departments in large hospitals every day, while a further 24,000 people use small emergency facilities such as walk-in centers and minor injury units.
A recent NHS report shows that the number of patients in large wards is 16 per cent higher than a decade ago, with poor access to GPs, mental health services and the growing NHS waiting list often to blame.
The latest analysis of NHS figures shows that the number of visitors on sensitive topics is rising faster: the number of people with penile problems rose by 34 per cent last year, from 13,911 to 18,592, while 20,675 women needed help with vagina-related complaints. an increase of 30 percent compared to the previous year. 15,930 in 2021/22.
In the past 12 months, 73,300 patients underwent surgery to remove a foreign body after visiting the emergency room.
Although these numbers include the removal of objects in body openings including eyes, nose and ears, the data shows that there were 1,502 visits for “foreign objects in the rectum” and 5,421 people for “foreign objects in the vagina.”
Around 373 men needed help for priapism – a prolonged erection of the penis, compared with 342 in the previous 12 months and 272 in 2020/21.
Men are strongly advised to seek emergency medical help if the condition lasts longer than two hours to prevent “permanent damage” if home treatments such as a warm bath or shower, a gentle walk or urination do not work.
Another 432 men showed penile rupture, which usually occurs during sex. This was a quarter more than the previous year.
Doctors also noted an increase in the number of men seeking help for a hydrocele – a painful condition in which the scrotum fills with fluid – with 2,276 visitors, up from 1,988 last year.
The data also shows that last year 1,593 people in England visited the emergency room because they had bleeding after sex.
About 2,392 people were treated for micturition syncope – a condition that causes dizziness, lightheadedness or a brief loss of consciousness while urinating.
Leading emergency doctors said emergency staff were trained to help people with potentially embarrassing problems with “trust and respect” and urged people not to delay seeking help if they needed it.
Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “People go to emergency departments with a range of problems, including some potentially embarrassing ones.” Staff are trained to address these issues confidentially and respectfully.
“It is extremely important that patients who are worried about something and feel they need emergency care come to the emergency room.”
“We don’t want patients with potentially serious problems to feel deterred.”
“Some symptoms may be signs of a more serious problem and a visit to the emergency room may be necessary to diagnose them and receive the necessary and appropriate treatment.”
Source link
Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
