Often infectious diseases of the genital organs are asymptomatic, but at the same time causing tremendous damage to the body. The resulting inflammatory processes of the genitourinary system can cause infertility in both women and men. Often this contributes to a disease such as chlamydia. Its timely diagnosis and treatment can lead to a positive result. In this article, we will try to understand how chlamydia manifests itself in men and what is the regimen for his treatment.
Pathogen Information
Chlamydia are called pathogenic microorganisms of a very small size, and they are mainly inside the cells of the human body. In a systematic series, they are located between bacteria and viruses.
Chlamydia inside the cell exists and develops within three days, then the cell is completely destroyed, and microorganisms begin to spread to other parts of the affected tissue. It is almost impossible to take a piece of material for analysis at this moment, therefore the microscopic technique for the study of smears and scrapings has a low information content.
According to statistics, if sexual contact was carried out without the use of barrier contraceptives, then infection with this disease occurs in ninety cases out of a hundred. Around the world, half of adult women and men are diagnosed with chlamydia. Incubation period it is asymptomatic, therefore, it is almost impossible to detect an infection at an early stage. Because of this, the disease takes on a chronic form, leading to infertility.
In addition, during pregnancy, various fetal development disorders occur, miscarriages occur, and autoimmune somatic diseases, such as arthritis, occur. Therefore, chlamydia in men and women must be diagnosed as early as possible and treated promptly.
How does chlamydia infection occur?
In men, the causative agent of this disease affects the urethra (urethra), rectum, eyes. Unlike gonorrhea, chlamydia rarely affects the throat.
If unprotected sexual contact with a person infected with these microorganisms has occurred, then the probability of infection reaches 50%. The likelihood of catching chlamydia in the household way is extremely small, since this pathogen cannot live outside the human body, and for this it should be very much. Therefore, do not be afraid to go to a public toilet, bathhouse, use common dishes and a towel, this will not lead to infection with such an infection.
How do chlamydia affect the male body?
This sexually transmitted disease can inflict a crushing blow on a man’s reproductive function, causing infertility. Infection, penetrating the urethra and causing its defeat, ascends to the prostate along the ascending line. Chronic chlamydial prostatitis promotes the formation of cysts on the prostate gland and the depletion of its functions. After some time, its atrophy and sclerosis occurs. In this case, a complete loss of prostate functions occurs, and the gland itself begins to decrease.
In addition, chlamydia is almost always accompanied by such diseases:
- cystitis;
- epididymitis;
- pyelonephritis;
- orchitis.
Their development begins with an inflammatory process that provokes a chlamydial infection in the bladder, testes and kidneys. Its presence destroys complex biochemical systems that are practically not restored after their defeat.
Symptoms of the disease
According to statistics, many genital infections are asymptomatic, including chlamydia. The incubation period of this disease lasts 14-28 days. Usually two weeks pass before the first signs of an unpleasant infection appear in the body.
How does chlamydia manifest itself? Symptoms in men (first signs) are as follows:
- scanty and transparent discharge begins to appear from the urethra;
- periodically weak pains occur in the lower back, urethra, testicles and scrotum;
- when urinating, there is a slight soreness;
- due to intoxication of the body, weakness appears, performance decreases;
- sometimes body temperature may rise slightly;
- in the urine, blood and pus may appear.
These are the main signs. Chlamydia in men can practically not manifest itself, and after a certain period of time its symptoms disappear altogether. Therefore, a man does not want to see a doctor. Meanwhile, the infection takes on a chronic form, which is fraught with serious complications.
What are the consequences of chlamydia infection?
Having examined the signs (chlamydia in men is a common problem), it is necessary to understand what complications this infection can lead to. It can affect many organs and systems of the body. Here is such an insidious disease - chlamydia. In men, the consequences can be very serious.
The most basic are impotence and infertility. Spreading, the infection affects the seminal vesicles with chlamydial vesiculitis, as well as bulbourethral glands, which causes chlamydial couperitis. As a result, complete irreversible infertility in men occurs.
Anal sex with the carrier of this virus leads to the fact that the infection begins to spread to nearby organs. There is proctitis, contributing to the defeat of the rectum. If sexual oral contact is practiced, then chronic pharyngitis develops.
Cardiovascular diseases, joint inflammation - these are complications that arose against the background of chlamydia. If the infection gets into the eyes, then chlamydial conjunctivitis develops, which is fraught with complete blindness. Also, the disease contributes to the onset of the inflammatory process in the inner ear and dysfunction of the vestibular apparatus.
How is chlamydia manifested in men? A pathology such as Reiter's disease, which includes the classic triad: conjunctivitis, urethritis, arthritis, can indicate the presence of this infection. Each pathology individually brings a person great troubles, and their combination several times reduces the quality of life. This disease leads to damage to the upper layers of the epidermis, and can also affect the nervous system. Various encephalopathies and encephalitis occur, accompanied by seizures and nerve spasms.
Chlamydia Diagnosis
This sexually transmitted disease is diagnosed by taking the following materials:
- scraping from the walls of the urethra;
- sperm;
- scraping from the head of the penis;
- secretion of the prostate gland, discharge from the urethra.
Sperm is necessary in order to check the condition of sperm when diagnosing infertility. The secret of the prostate is sent for analysis if the urologist also suspects prostatitis. To diagnose the disease, scraping from the walls of the urethra is quite enough, since chlamydia is mainly located in this place.
How to carry out the sampling of the material?
Taking a scraping from the walls of the urethra should be carried out in such a way that there is enough material for analysis. This is a rather painful procedure, but necessary. To do this, use a special disposable tool.
Before the procedure, a man should:
- drink alcohol;
- eat smoked and fatty foods;
- visit the sauna or bath.
Such unusual rules are necessary in order for chlamydia to become sharply activated and switch from a chronic to an acute condition, and this will greatly simplify the analysis.
Chlamydia tests in men
Microscopy is considered the most common analysis. A smear taken from the urethra is applied to the glass, dried and stained. Biological material is examined under magnification to see the presence of chlamydia. However, this method is not very informative, since its accuracy is only 10-15%.
The IF method, or immunofluorescence, conducted in the laboratory, allows you to detect the main protein of chlamydia. This method is considered more accurate, but it is not able to determine whether a microorganism is viable or not. Therefore, the result can be positive or negative.
For sowing, biological material is taken from the urethra, placed in a special nutrient medium, wait longer until the microorganisms germinate.
The most effective is the PCR method, which we will consider in more detail.
PCR method
Such an analysis is considered the most accurate and informative. To establish a diagnosis, a small amount of biological material (tissue samples, blood, etc.) is taken. Most often, blood is used for research, less often - scraping or smear.
The chlamydia PCR method has a number of undeniable advantages:
- high level of specificity;
- diagnosis in a short time;
- high sensitivity, due to which infections are detected that are not only acute, but also latent in nature.
Traditional tests do not always identify the causative agent of the infection. The method of PCR for chlamydia gives a detailed result, which allows you to start treatment at the initial stage of the development of the disease. Such an analysis must be given on an empty stomach.
Treatment of chlamydia in men
If there are certain signs (chlamydia in men, as we said, can be asymptomatic), then treatment should be started as early as possible, otherwise the disease can go into a chronic form. Since this infection is an intracellular parasite, the doctor should prescribe such drugs that can penetrate into the cell. The treatment regimen for chlamydia includes the use of specific antibiotics:
- Macrolide group: Erythromycin, Azithromycin, Josamycin.
- The tetracycline group: Doxycycline.
- Penicillin group: Ampicillin.
Recent international WHO standards for the treatment of urogenital chlamydia recommend a drug such as Azithromycin, which must be used once.
In addition to antibiotics, the treatment regimen for chlamydia may include the use of antifungal drugs (Fluconazole) and immunomodulators (Interferon). If heavy discharge continues from the urethra, your doctor may prescribe local antimicrobials.
In the process of treatment it is forbidden to drink alcohol, you must follow a diet, exclude spicy, fatty, sweet and salty foods. You should also refrain from any sexual contact. If necessary, both sexual partners should undergo treatment.
Output
Thus, chlamydia is a very insidious infection, which proceeds stealthily and, upon transition to a chronic form, can cause various complications. If there are characteristic signs (chlamydia in men can cause serious consequences), you must immediately contact a venereologist to begin timely treatment.