Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) do not belong to a specific sex and age group and are in no way dependent on the social status of the patient. Inadvertently, an absolutely normal person leading a relatively healthy lifestyle can become a victim of STIs.
STI - what is it?
STIs are ailments that appear in the body as a result of unprotected intercourse. As medical practice shows, on average, up to three dozen infectious agents can be transmitted in one act, the most common of which are ureaplasmas, gonococci, chlamydia and trichomonads.
Moral disease
It is possible to name STIs as a disease of morality, which occurs with erratic relationships and a frivolous attitude to elementary rules of hygiene. Therefore, often many infected people do not go to clinical institutions if the disease proceeds without particularly pronounced symptoms, and self-medicate. Although sometimes an infection may remain in the body and not be noticed at all, but this in no way means that it does no harm, after all, it often has a chronic character.
Causes of infection
As mentioned above, the main causes of infection lie in the abbreviation STI itself, what it is, was described earlier. However, infection occurs not only through sexual contact, but also with improper hygiene in public toilets. Some sources call this path of the disease mythical, however, as practice shows, some bacteria are able to survive in the environment for several hours without the support of a living organism.
In general, any neglect of hygiene products: the use of a common towel, linen - can lead to infection with STIs.
Some chronic STIs, such as HIV, can also be transmitted in utero from mother to baby or through milk when breastfeeding. In addition, viruses are modified over the years, and in modern practice there have been cases in which STIs were infested by drip, namely with a kiss, as well as through blood and lymph.
Clinical picture
Often, symptoms of STIs occur locally, in places of direct infection. Therefore, the main signs that infection has occurred can be attributed to burning and itching when urinating. In addition to such extremely unpleasant sensations, redness on the external genitalia or white plaque with swelling and blisters may appear. Characteristic substances can be released from the genital tract in the form of foam.
With the progression of the infection in the human body, several weeks after infection, a pulling pain in the lower abdomen, urges to urinate frequently can be felt. Sexual intercourse can be accompanied by unpleasant, and sometimes painful sensations. In some types of STIs, the disease can be accompanied by a slight increase in body temperature, muscle pain and aching, and dark urine.
Sometimes infection is asymptomatic for the body, which is extremely dangerous - the patient does not have the opportunity to feel the changes and contact a clinical institution in time to provide medical care. As a result, this leads to disastrous consequences, accompanied by chronic diseases.
Varieties
A normal healthy person is unlikely to ever think about the types of STIs. The list of infections transmitted in a very pleasant way is striking. In general, the most common infections can be divided according to the severity of the symptoms.
Severity classification
Light degree:
- candidiasis (caused by a fungus of the Candida family, accompanied by minor inflammation and itching of the genitals, in addition to sexual infection, can occur when alcohol and tobacco are abused, as well as when the body's defenses or antibiotic treatment are weakened);
- donovanosis (often spreads in hot countries and is characterized by slow progression).
Medium Degree:
- genital herpes (accompanied by not only difficulty urinating, but also general malaise);
- papillomavirus (expressed as a painful rash in the genital area, accompanied by an increase in body temperature).
Severe degree:
- syphilis (lingers in the body for a long time - up to 10 years, the rash spreads throughout the body);
- gonorrhea (infection affects most internal organs, there is a chance of infection when swimming in public pools and visiting public toilets);
- HIV infection (currently incurable, extreme severity compared to other STIs, the list of which was presented above).
STI and women
STIs in women often proceed differently, therefore, speaking about the clinical picture of the disease in detail, female and male infections should be separated. For example, chlamydia in women is accompanied by frequent bleeding from the cervix, regardless of the menstrual cycle, painful urination, vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odor, and pulling and cutting pains in the lower abdomen.
It should also be noted that such STIs in women, such as candidiasis, are not a terrible disease and occur in every second, in the people this ailment is also called thrush. But as for trichomoniasis, in women it is more painful and harder than in men, accompanied by continuous itching in the genital area.
In general, women are more susceptible to STIs than men, and these diseases can have dire consequences, including infertility.
STIs in men
Unlike the female body, the male one carries some infectious diseases more easily, but some, on the contrary, are harder. For example, candidiasis, which is not particularly dangerous for women, manifests much more deplorable symptoms in a man’s body: sexual intercourse with infection with candidiasis can cause unbearable acute pain. In addition, throughout the course of the disease, the general unsatisfactory condition of the patient may be accompanied by itching and burning of the penis, pain during urination, and, of course, the main sign of fungal disease is white plaque on the penis.
For men, STIs - what is it? This is sometimes pain during intercourse, so there can be no joys of life during illness. Here, for example, trichomoniasis can even cause the development of prostatitis, as well as chlamydia. However, the latter does not have pronounced symptoms when it enters the male body. Therefore, it can sometimes proceed and is completely painless.
STI and pregnancy
It is no secret to anyone that from the very first minutes of intrauterine development, the mother is fully responsible for the health of her baby. Therefore, an STI during pregnancy is not only a problem with the health of the mother, but also a great threat to the life of the unborn baby.
With serious diseases such as gonorrhea, a child can become infected through the placenta directly during the birth process, which is dangerous for girls with infection of the genitals, and for boys with eyeball damage, even blindness. During pregnancy in a woman with syphilis, the infection can be transmitted to the fetus in utero, and the baby is already born infected with the disease.
As for genital herpes and human papillomavirus, the risk of infection from mother to child during gestation and passage of the birth canal is extremely small, but this does not mean that it is absent, sometimes these diseases can provoke a miscarriage.
STIs in adolescents
The symptoms of STIs in adolescent patients practically do not differ from the clinical picture in adults, however, I would like to note that sexually transmitted infections in such a young and tender body are a rather social problem.
It just so happened that we live in a socially depraved society, which completely excludes any moral principles, so in venereal departments of clinics you can often meet 15-year-old girls and young people.
It should be noted that the consequences of STIs in adolescents can be extremely deplorable, therefore, after the infection, the child’s life will not be the same. Guys, as mentioned above, may develop prostatitis due to infection, while girls can suffer from infertility. But, alas, the picture of the modern world and astounding statistics suggest that the increase in the number of sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents is constantly increasing.
Diagnostics
It is pleasant to note that medicine does not stand still, and in recent years laboratory research has made a huge leap in its development. Therefore, at the moment, we can safely say - now in modern clinics there is such an opportunity as an early examination for STIs. What does it mean?
Based on the patient's complaints, a number of smears of the vaginal microflora and examination of the glans penis are prescribed, and after that the latest technologies are applied in studies of the DNA structure of the infected person and the PC reaction, as well as diagnostics by direct immunofluorescence methods.
Each person who suspects such infections in themselves should understand that an early examination for STIs is necessary, which can protect your body from undesirable consequences.
With especially severe degrees of diseases that can be transmitted not only sexually, an immunological blood test is prescribed . Blood tests for STIs are mandatory if you suspect syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV infection in the body. As a rule, several diagnostic methods in combination can give exactly the correct diagnosis.
Treatment
The next stage after the diagnosis of STIs is treatment, which is usually aimed at destroying the focus of the disease and completely removing the infection from the body. Thanks to the latest technologies in treatment, compared with past decades, the course of taking antibacterial drugs and antibiotics has been reduced by three times and at the moment is on average up to a week.
After active therapy, they proceed to preventive measures: it can be physiotherapeutic methods of treatment, the introduction of vitamins both intramuscularly and orally, immunostimulating procedures are carried out.
Often, the symptoms of the disease do not disappear for some time after the end of the course of treatment, which is associated with strong inflammatory processes in the body and its reaction to the causative agents of the disease.
STI Prevention
To prevent the occurrence of an STI infection in the body, a number of preventive measures must be observed. Failed noses, scary ulcers on the skin - these are not episodes from a horror movie, when leading an improper lifestyle, such passions can happen to everyone. One wrong step can cripple the life of an absolutely healthy person, regardless of their social status and position in society. Therefore, it is not enough to know the consequences of STIs, what it is, and how to treat it, it is also necessary to carry out all protective measures to avoid an ailment. So:
- try not to change sexual partners to mess often, but still, if your lifestyle does not allow such luxury, then at least do not forget to use a condom;
- when using a public toilet, follow generally accepted hygiene standards (we hope you should not describe in detail which ones);
- if you decide to swim in a public pool - check with the administrators how the water is treated and whether it is processed for sanitary purposes;
- Do not delay visits to the doctor if you feel unpleasant changes in your body, for example, burning during urination, itching, abdominal pain, or notice an unusual rash on the external genitalia;
- once a year, with the prerequisites for the occurrence of STIs, undergo a diagnosis and take tests for the presence of sexually transmitted diseases in the body;
- at home in emergency cases, you can use antiseptic solutions for douching the vagina and rinsing the penis, but you should not get carried away with these procedures - they destroy the microflora of the genital mucosa.
Therefore, be serious about your lifestyle and be healthy!