Chlamydia
By: Trever Jones 2006.03.05
What is Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Chlamydia Trachomatis. Chlamydia is known as a "silent" disease because three quarters of infected women and half of infected men have no symptoms.
Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States. In 2002, 834,555 Chlamydial infections were reported to CDC from 50 states and the District of Columbia. Under-reporting is substantial because most people with Chlamydia are not aware of their infections and do not seek testing. Also, testing is not often done if patients are treated for their symptoms. An estimated 3 million Americans are infected with Chlamydia each year. Women are frequently re-infected if their sex partners are not treated.
Transmission
- Vaginal, oral, or anal sex.
- Infected mother to her newborn during vaginal childbirth.
Signs & Symptoms
Symptoms, if any, usually appear within 1-3 weeks of exposure
Men:
- Discharge from the penis.
- Burning sensation when urinating.
- Burning and itching around the opening of the penis.
- Pain and swelling in the testicles.
Women:
- Abnormal vaginal discharge.
- Burning sensation when urinating.
- Lower abdominal pain.
- Low back pain.
- Nausea.
- Fever.
- Pain during intercourse.
- Bleeding between menstrual periods.
Complications
Men:
- Infertility.
- Proctitis (an infection of the lining of the rectum)
Women:
- Irreversible damage to a woman's reproductive organs.
- Infertility.
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).
- Women infected with Chlamydia may also have higher risk of acquiring HIV infection from an infected partner.
- Proctitis (an infection of the lining of the rectum)
Pregnancy:
- Premature delivery.
- Babies who are born when their mothers are infected can get Chlamydial infections in their eyes and respiratory tracts.
- Chlamydia is a leading cause of early infant pneumonia and conjunctivitis (pinkeye) in newborns.
Diagnosis
A health care provider must perform a laboratory test.
- Collection of a specimen from an infected site (cervix or penis) to detect the bacterium directly.
- Urine test.
Treatment
- Easily treated with antibiotics.
- Single dose of azithromycin.
- Week of doxycycline (twice daily).
- All sex partners must also be treated.
Prevention
- Use latex or polyurethane condoms correctly every time you have sex.
- Condoms do not provide complete protection from all STDs. Sores and lesions of other STDs in infected men and women may be present in areas not covered by the condom, resulting in transmission of infection to another person.
- Limit the number of sex partners.
- Practice sexual abstinence, or limit sexual contact to one uninfected partner.