Chlamydia

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Chlamydia is an infection caused by a parasitic microorganism, Chlamydia trachomatis. It the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. About 4 million new cases are diagnosed every year, and close to 20 percent of American adolescents have had Chlamydia.

About 10 percent of men and 70 percent of women have no symptoms at all in the early stages of the infection. As it progresses, both men and women suffer symptoms that include inflammation, itching, difficulty urinating, and pain during sexual intercourse. A vaginal or urethral discharge is common. In men, Chlamydia can cause prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland) and epididymitis (inflammation of the seminal vesicles). Symptoms of chlamydial prostatitis include painful urination and a discharge of watery mucus from the urethra.

It is not uncommon for Chlamydia to occur as part of a combined infection with gonorrhea or another venereal disease. Once the other infection is treated, a previously hidden chlamydial problem may show up.

The danger of this disease lies in the fact that its long-term consequences can be serious and that it often produces no symptoms until it is in the later stages. It is the leading cause of pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which can lead to tubal scarring and resulting infertility. As many as 50,000 American women have become infertile as a result of this disease. If a woman with a chlamydial infection does become pregnant, the disease can cause problems for her baby, including eye and respiratory infections, even pneumonia.

If you have any signs, symptoms, or suspicions of a sexually transmitted disease, especially if you have a discharge from the vegina or urethra, see your doctor promptly. A diagnosis of Chlamydia is made by testing a sample of the urine and / or discharge, either vaginal or urethral, to determine the organism is sometimes hard to confirm in the laboratory, it may be assumed to be there if the symptoms of burning, redness, and / or discharge are present.

General recommendations for chlamydia

Preventive measures for chlamydia

chemotherapy | genital warts
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