Chlamydia infection is a sexually transmitted disease. The main place of damage can be called the genitourinary system. Chlamydia is considered the fastest growing disease in the category of STIs. More than 80 million people are infected worldwide every year. Mostly people aged 15 to 40 years are infected.
Causes of infection:
- unprotected vaginal and anal sex;
- through toilet seats, shared towels and personal hygiene items .
Chlamydial infection. Symptoms
Signs of the disease in men:
- transparent discharge from the urethra appears , especially in the morning. The lips of the urethra stick together, my emitting becomes painful, a person constantly experiences discomfort, these symptoms can be accompanied by constant itching;
- redness appears on the genitals caused by the inflammatory process;
- there is a general malaise, fatigue, a slight increase in temperature;
- soreness of the scrotum.
Symptoms in women.
In half the cases, a woman is a carrier and does not experience any symptoms. But the absence of manifestations allows the disease to take a more severe form, a chlamydial infection spreads to the organs of the female reproductive system, which can have very negative consequences. That is why women are urged to periodically visit a gynecologist and take tests to check their own health. Possible symptoms:
- vaginal discharge, which is a muddy mucus;
- cutting pain during urination;
- pain during intercourse and blood discharge;
- general fatigue and malaise.
Chlamydial infection and its consequences
The most dangerous consequence is infertility. This applies to both women and men.
Consequences in women
Reproductive organs are affected. There is inflammation, the formation of adhesions, and this directly affects the woman’s ability to get pregnant, since the egg cannot penetrate through the fallopian tubes into the uterine cavity. So a woman has obstruction of the fallopian tubes.
Due to inflammation, swelling of the tubes and ovaries, an ectopic pregnancy is very likely to occur, which with late diagnosis will lead to rupture of the fallopian tubes, profuse bleeding and, as a result, even death.
In addition, the consequences are cystitis, endocervicitis, vulvitis, proctitis, ophthalmic chlamydia, pharyngitis, endometritis and other diseases.
The disease during pregnancy is very dangerous and affects the development of the fetus. Chlamydial infection in children born to infected mothers leads to conjunctivitis of varying severity and chronic eye diseases.
Consequences in men
Chlamydial infection affects the prostate gland, testicles, which greatly reduces sperm quality and leads to infertility. Sperm activity is reduced and genital tract obstruction is impaired.
Also, the infection causes chronic prostatitis, epididymitis and urethritis.
Chlamydia Treatment
If signs of the disease appear, it is urgent to visit a gynecologist or venereologist. After a comprehensive examination, patients are usually prescribed a course of antibiotics. If there are no contraindications, tetracycline or doxycycline is used to treat, but these drugs are prohibited for pregnant women.
Chlamydia can recur, so after completing the course of treatment, approximately four weeks later, repeated tests are required to completely eliminate the disease.
This infection is quite difficult to treat, requires time and money. The main preventive measure is the use of condoms and the absence of unprotected sexual intercourse.