Chlamydia is an insidious disease that no one is safe from. The lack of an obvious clinical picture leads to the fact that a person does not notice his illness, allowing bacteria to destroy the body. The danger of pathology and what effect it has on health is important and needs to be understood.
General Description of the Disease
Current medical statistics suggest that the incidence of chlamydia is widespread throughout the world. What is the danger of chlamydia? First of all, by the fact that his symptoms are almost invisible, a person often does not suspect about his illness. Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease. Today it is especially important to convey to young people knowledge about protected sexual intercourse, about the need to use barrier methods of contraception if there is no complete confidence in the health of the partner.
Regular diagnostics will help a person timely identify pathology and begin treatment in order to prevent undesirable consequences. Despite the apparent absence of signs of chlamydia, you can not let the infection develop by gravity, this will lead to the development of complications.
The most common type of disease is considered urogenital, which can lead to infertility in both women and men. Chlamydia is dangerous, as evidenced by the list of vital body systems that the disease affects:
- respiratory
- cardiovascular;
- visual;
- musculoskeletal.
Causative agents of the disease
Chlamydia is a group of infections catalyzed by chlamydia bacteria. They can live for a long time in the human body, not manifesting themselves in any way, but gradually causing damage to health. Modern medicine knows about 15 types of chlamydia, which destroy the protective functions of the body. As soon as the natural barriers weaken, the virus begins to multiply and spread. Often, chlamydia develops against the background of other infections, which can enhance the overall clinical picture. This course of the disease requires immediate medical attention and the appointment of a comprehensive treatment. Chlamydia is activated against the background of infections such as syphilis, thrush, gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Infection pathways
From the basic description of the disease, it becomes clear why chlamydia is dangerous and how it is transmitted from person to person.
The main ways of transmitting the disease:
- Sexual. The most common way to get chlamydia, especially in the absence of a permanent sexual partner and the practice of unprotected sex.
- Delivery during childbirth. If the expectant mother suffers from this disease, then the risk is high to pass it on to the baby during childbirth.
- Household way. A person can become infected through personal hygiene products, bedding. The risk of infection in this way is extremely small.
- From the animal. Chlamydia of cats is dangerous for humans in very rare cases. If the pet is sick, then it cannot be left without proper treatment, this will reduce the risk of its own infection.
Doctors note that vigilant monitoring of their own health helps to detect the infection in time. As a rule, the first signs can be considered within a couple of weeks after infection, if you pay attention to them.
Symptoms of Chlamydia
In addition to urogenital chlamydia, a person is prone to a major infection with this bacterium. The same strain can cause pathology in various organs, the main symptoms of the disease directly depend on this. In order to detect an urogenital infection in time, a man or woman should listen to their own health and pay attention to the following alarming symptoms:
- Subjective discomfort in the genital area.
- Pain, itching, and burning during urination.
- Hypersensitivity of the genital mucosa, possibly inflammation.
If these signs are ignored, they will gradually disappear, and a person will become a carrier of infection, not suspecting it.
What is the danger of chlamydia of the eye? This type of disease is easier to detect, as the eyes begin to fester, conjunctivitis appears. Chlamydia can be suspected if the usual treatment fails or frequent relapses occur.
Chlamydia in women
It is important to understand the danger of chlamydia for women. First of all, also by the lack of vivid symptoms, which leads to uncontrolled damage to the body. Statistics show that about 70% of sick women are unaware of their problem and do not fight infection.
It is important to pay attention to the following symptoms:
- Unusual vaginal discharge, with an unpleasant odor and yellow color.
- Blood discharge between the days of menstruation.
- Itching and burning in the genital area.
- Pain during urination.
- Pain in the pelvic area, which intensifies before menstruation.
- An increase in temperature if intoxication of the body has occurred.
It is important to understand that a visual examination by a doctor will not be sufficient to determine the disease. It is necessary to report all subjective sensations and undergo a full examination.
Chlamydia during pregnancy
Is chlamydia dangerous during pregnancy? This issue requires a separate consideration in order to correctly identify the risks for the expectant mother and her child. For a woman who is in a position and has a disappointing diagnosis, the development of chlamydia in the body can lead to the following consequences:
- Miscarriage or fetal developmental arrest.
- Inflammation of the fallopian tubes and pelvic organs.
- The narrowing of the urethra.
Separately, it should be noted what is the danger of chlamydia during pregnancy for a child:
- The disease provokes placental insufficiency, and a lack of oxygen leads to fetal hypoxia (the severity of all varies).
- The level of intake of beneficial substances to the fetus is reduced, which affects its development.
- Chlamydia infection of the child.
The danger of chlamydia during pregnancy is now clear, but in no case panic. Any woman in an interesting position should undergo a full examination and, if necessary, take all measures to reduce risks and make a healthy baby.
Chlamydia in men
In men, the development of chlamydia also passes without obvious symptoms, the disease makes no exceptions for gender. The first manifestations are observed several weeks after infection and pass quickly, which allows pathology to freely destroy the body.
It is important for a man to pay attention to a number of alarming symptoms:
- Pain during urination.
- Vitreous discharge.
- Urine discoloration.
- Purulent or bloody discharge from the urethra.
- Pain in the genital area and lower back.
- With intoxication, an increase in body temperature is possible.
Despite the absence of obvious symptoms, the disease can lead to serious consequences. What is the danger of chlamydia for men?
- The development of erectile dysfunction.
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- Proctitis.
- Joint inflammation.
- Infertility.
It is important to undergo a timely examination by a doctor in order to maintain men's health and feel confident.
Children's chlamydia
In children, a similar diagnosis is not common. Infection occurs mainly during birth from the mother. A small organism reacts to bacteria very sharply, which leads to the development of:
- Pneumonia.
- Bronchitis.
- Conjunctivitis.
The baby's organs of vision are the most vulnerable to chlamydia. If infection has occurred, then it is easy to notice by adhering eyelids and characteristic discharge. A newborn organism is not able to provide full resistance to pathogenic bacteria, so the lesion occurs faster and leads to more serious complications.
In the case of pneumonia, an infant often requires mechanical ventilation. Due to the increased vulnerability of children's health, the baby should be under competent medical supervision from the moment of birth to the period when there is confidence that the danger has passed. It is important to prevent the development of chlamydia in a chronic form.
Diagnosis and treatment of the disease
For timely diagnosis of the disease, you must consult a doctor. For men, a urologist will deal with this issue, for women a gynecologist. It is these specialists who will give further directions for examination and additional consultations of other specialists (including a venereologist).
The most accurate diagnostic method is the polymerase chain reaction method (PCR diagnostics), the accuracy of which is about 95%. As biological material for research use:
- In men: urine, blood, semen.
- In women: blood, discharge and scraping from the vagina.
If pathogenic microorganisms are detected in the body, only the attending physician should prescribe the correct therapy, based on the results of laboratory tests. There is no single scheme; each case is individual and requires a separate consideration.
If we consider complex treatment in general, then it includes drugs of the following nature:
- Immunomodulators.
- Enzymes.
- Antibiotics.
- Interferon
- Probiotics
- Hepatoprotectors.
Drugs are administered intravenously or intramuscularly, which allows to achieve a better result. In addition to drug therapy, the patient should be attentive to his diet, diversifying it with fortified foods.