Chlamydia - Symptom, Causes, Treatment of Chlamydia

Chlamydia may be present in a woman's cervix for several years and can spread to cause inflammation of the uterus and fallopian tubes without causing symptoms. But there may be an increased vaginal discharge, which is often yellowish and sometimes smelly; lower abdominal or back pain, often worse with menstrual periods; pain with sex; and spotting, between periods or after sex. If severe fallopian tube infection or an abscess in the pelvis develops, there may be fever and more intense abdominal pain.

Chlamydia is the most common treatable STD. It often presents no symptoms in men or women unless it leads to complications - when treatment can sometimes be too late to stop permanent damage. Although there is evidence that chlamydia has been causing disease since ancient times, it was not identified until1940; only in about 1980 were simple and reliable tests for it developed.

Symptom of Chlamydia

Genital infections may give no warning until they are advanced. If there are symptom of Chlamydia, men usually notice them earlier than women, often between 2 days and 2 weeks after catching the infection. Someone who has contracted chlamydia may see symptoms a week later. In some people, the symptoms take up to 3 weeks to appear, and many people never develop any symptoms. The commonest symptomof Chlamydia in men are a discharge from the urethra (which drains urine from the bladder) and/or discomfort during, or shortly after, passing urine. The discharge is often worst first thing in the morning.

Diagnosis of Chlamydia

If you or your sexual partner develops symptoms, it is very important to have swabs taken by your doctor or at a sexual health clinic to check for chlamydia or identify other Sexually Transmissible Diseases. Diagnosis is made by isolating the Chlamydia bacteria in a culture, or by finding evidence of the bacteria's unique DNA in a urine or vaginal sample.  On women, a speculum exam is performed by the doctor; a cervical sample is obtained and sent to the laboratory for analysis.

Treatment of Chlamydia

Chlamydial infections can be cured by antibiotics. A number of antibiotics in the Erythromycin family will kill and hence cure Chlamydial infections.  The trick is to get diagnosed, as quite commonly those infected are unaware. Sexual partners should be treated at the same time. If untreated, infection can lead to chronic ill health and Subfertility. Chlamydia is the most common preventable cause of infertility in women. When the fallopian tubes are blocked, no pregnancy is possible naturally. One option is IVF (in-vitro fertilisation), but availability on the NHS is still patchy and has variable success rates: usually no more than 20 per cent of women end up with a baby. Pregnant women who have had more than one sexual partner should be checked by their physician to be sure they do not have an asymptomatic infection.

Bookmark This Page:

Home | Directory | Skin Diseases | Site Map | Cardiovascular Diseases | Hematological Diseases | Contact Us | Submit Site
Copyright © 2006 Medical-Diseases.info All Rights Reserved