How to control Chlamydia?

Even though symptoms of Chlamydia are usually mild or absent, some very serious complications can occur which can cause irreversible damage, including infertility. The big problem is that it can exist silently for a long time before a woman even recognizes a problem. Chlamydia can also infect males and cause discharge from the penis. Most people do not know that Chlamydia infection is one of the leading causes of infertility in women. Sexually active individuals and individuals with multiple partners are at the highest risk.

Incidence

Chlamydia is one of the most widespread bacterial STDs in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 3 million people are infected each year. Not all infected people exhibit symptoms of Chlamydia. About half of all men and three-quarters of all women who have Chlamydia have no symptoms. Prevalence rates are highest in adolescent girls although the disease affects both men and women and occurs in all age groups. It is four times more common than gonorrhea and six times more common than herpes.

Chlamydia trachomatis spreading

The bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis is causing chlamydia infection. The bacterium is most commonly spread through sexual intercourse or any other intimate genitals contact. The rectal area and the mouth can also be the target tissues for Chlamydia. It's also possible for a mother to spread chlamydia to her child during delivery, causing pneumonia or a serious eye infection. There are several varieties of Chlamydia and it also cause another sexually transmitted disease called lymphogranuloma venereum.

The initial signs include:

• genital sores,
• fever
• swollen lymph nodes in the groin area

Symptoms of Chlamydia infection

The fact is that Chlamydia may be very difficult to detect because early the infection often causes few or no signs and symptoms that might alert a person to see a doctor.
When signs or symptoms do occur, they usually start one to three weeks after the  exposure to Chlamydia.

Women

• Inter-menstrual or bleeding after intercourse
• Lower abdominal pain
• Mucopurulent cervical or vaginal discharge
• Cervical motion tenderness
• Adnexal tenderness
• Lower abdominal tenderness
•  Upper right quadrant abdominal tenderness
• Mucopurulent rectal discharge
• Fever
• No symptoms in 80%

Men

• Unilateral pain and swelling of the scrotum
• Fever
• Testicular pain
• Mucopurulent urethral discharge
• Unilateral epididymis tenderness and swelling
• Mucopurulent rectal discharge
• Painful urination
• Asymptomatic in 50%

Neonates

• Injected conjunctivae
• Mucopurulent discharge from eyes
• Bilateral involvement of the eyes

High-risk groups

A person is in a high-risk group if he or she:

• Has multiple sexual partners
• Doesn't use a condom during sex
• Has other sexually transmitted diseases
• Has a sexual partner who has had a sexually transmitted disease

Diagnosis of chlamydia infection

There are different laboratory tests which can diagnose chlamydia. Some are performed on urine; other tests require that a specimen be collected from a site such as the penis or cervix. An ultrasound may also be performed to look for tubo-ovarian abscess.

The two most common tests are:

A culture swab
This procedure is rather simple. The octor usually takes a culture swab of the discharge from woman’s cervix. This can be done at the same time the doctor does a routine Pap test. For men, it is a bit more unpleasant because doctor may insert a slim swab into the end of penis to get a sample from the urethra.
 
A urine test
A sample of patient’s urine analyzed in the laboratory may indicate the presence of this infection.

The price
Unfortunately, the new tests are twice as expensive as the old ones. 
 

Complications if left untreated

It is proven that, if left untreated, Chlamydia can lead to or be associated with other serious health problems, such as:

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Several researches done in the past have come to the conclusion that women infected with chlamydia are at a greater risk of acquiring HIV than women who are not infected with chlamydia.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
This is a serious infection of the uterus and fallopian tubes. The infection can damage the fallopian tubes, ovaries and uterus, including the cervix. When this happens it can lead to scarring that may lead to infertility. This is not such a rare condition nowadays. Each year, about 1 million U.S. women develop PID, with chlamydia responsible in about a half of those cases. 

Epididymitis
A chlamydia infection can inflame the epididymis, a coiled tube that every man has located beside each testicle. Epididymitis may result in fever, scrotal pain and swelling. It must be treated with strong antibiotics.

Prostatitis
The proven fact is that this bacterium can spread to prostate gland and cause inflammation called prostatitis. It may result in pain during or after sex, fever and chills, painful urination, and lower back pain.

Rectal inflammation
If a person is practicing anal sex, the chlamydia may cause the rectal inflammation. This condition is called proctitis and it can result in rectal pain and mucus discharge.

Eye infections
If a person touches the eyes with the infected hands, it can cause an eye infection, such as conjunctivitis which can sometimes result in blindness.

Infections in newborns
The chlamydia infection can pass from vaginal canal to the child during delivery, causing pneumonia or an eye infection that can lead to blindness.

High risk for other STDs
People who are infected have a higher risk of developing other sexually transmitted diseases. Other complications, especially among men are rare. The infection sometimes spreads to the epididymis, causing pain, fever, and, rarely, sterility.
 

Treatment of Chlamydia

The good news is that Chlamydia infection can be easily treated and cured with antibiotics. The sooner the Chlamydia infection is diagnosed, the better. What is the most commonly used treatment?

Doctors usually treat Chlamydia with prescription antibiotics such as:

• Azithromycin,
• Erythromycin,
• Tetracycline,
• Doxycycline

A single dose of Azithromycin or a week of Doxycycline are the most commonly used treatments. HIV-positive persons with chlamydia should receive the same treatment as those who are HIV negative. Early antibiotic treatment is extremely successful and may prevent the development of long-term complications.

Some important treatment principles

The main principle is that all sex partners should be evaluated, tested, and treated. All the persons with chlamydia should abstain from sexual intercourse until they and their sex partners have completed the treatment.
Women whose sex partners have not been appropriately treated are at the high risk for re-infection. It is proven that it will increase her risk of serious reproductive health complications, including infertility.

Prevention of chlamydia infections

The surest way to avoid the transmission of chlamydia as well as all the others STDs is not to have sexual contact or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is not infected. There are also some other possibilities:

Use of condoms
A person can significantly reduce the chances of getting chlamydia or giving it to a partner by using male latex condoms correctly every time they have a sexual intercourse. It should definitely reduce but not eliminate the risk of infection.

Regular screening
Health experts recommend chlamydia screening annually for all sexually active women 25 years of age and younger. It is also important that all pregnant women also have a screening test for chlamydia.

Reduce the number of sex partners
A very good way to prevent chlamydia infections is to limit the number of sex partners. Having multiple sex partners puts a person at a high risk of contracting chlamydia or other sexually transmitted diseases.

Stop with frequent douching
It is proven that women shouldn't use douche very often because it decreases the number of good bacteria present in the vagina, which may increase the risk of infection.

Chlamydia and newborn babies

Chlamydia can cause a lot of damage to the newborn baby. It is proven that a newborn baby who is exposed to Chlamydia trachomatis in the birth canal during the delivery may develop an eye infection or pneumonia.

Conjunctivitis
Symptoms of conjunctivitis, which include discharge and swollen eyelids, usually develop within the first 10 days of life.

Pneumonia
Symptoms of pneumonia, including a cough that gets steadily worse and congestion, usually develop within 3 to 6 weeks of birth.