Chlamydia Infection - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
What is chlamydia infection?
Chlamydia Treatment is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S and the UK. This infection is easily spread because it often causes no symptoms and may be unknowingly passed to sexual partners. In fact, about 75% of infections in women and 50% in men are without symptoms.
How is chlamydia infection acquired?
The infection is transmitted in 2 ways:
- From one person to another through sexual contact (oral, anal, or vaginal).
- From mother to child with passage of the child through the birth canal. Chlamydia can cause pneumonia or serious eye infections in a newborn, especially among children born to infected mothers in developing countries.
What are chlamydia symptoms?
Most people who have chlamydia don’t notice any symptoms.
If you do get signs and symptoms, these usually appear between one and three weeks after having unprotected sex with an infected person. For some people the symptoms occur many months later, or not until the infection has spread.
Chlamydia symptoms in women
Around 70-80% of women with chlamydia don't notice any symptoms. If women do get symptoms, the most common include:
- pain when urinating (peeing)
- a change in vaginal discharge
- pain in the lower abdomen
- pain and/or bleeding during sex
- bleeding after sex
- bleeding between periods
- heavier periods than usual
If left untreated, chlamydia infection will greatly threatens women's health: it can spread to the womb and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID is a major cause of infertility, miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy (when a fertilised egg implants itself outside the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes).
Chlamydia symptoms in men
Around half of all men with chlamydia don't notice any symptoms. If men do get symptoms, the most common include:
- pain when urinating (peeing)
- discharge from the tip of the penis (this can be a white, cloudy or watery discharge)
- pain in the testicles
Chlamydia in the rectum, throat or eyes
Some men have mild symptoms that disappear after two or three days. Even if the symptoms disappear you will still have the infection and be able to pass it on. If chlamydia is left untreated in men they are at risk of complications such as orchitis (swollen testicles), reactive arthritis (inflammation of the joints) and infertility.
If possible complications (like PID, prostatitis, etc. ) are triggered by chlamydia infection, more symptoms would develop.
Chlamydia can infect the rectum, eyes or throat if you have unprotected anal or oral sex. If infected semen or vaginal fluid comes into contact with the eyes you can also develop conjunctivitis.
Infection in the rectum can cause discomfort, pain, bleeding or discharge. In the eyes chlamydia can cause irritation, pain, swelling and discharge the same as conjunctivitis. Infection in the throat is less common and usually causes no symptoms.
How is chlamydia infetion diagnosed?
The test for chlamydia is simple. Most people can have the test carried out on a urine sample. Some people have a swab test (a small cotton bud). The swab is used to gently wipe the area where you might have chlamydia, to collect some cells. The cells are then tested for infection.
The doctor or nurse will explain which is the best test for you to have. You don’t always have to be examined by the doctor or nurse – this will depend on your situation and where you go to get tested.
People who have had anal or oral sex might have a swab taken from their rectum or throat. This isn’t done on everyone.
If you have symptoms in your eye, such as discharge or inflammation, a swab test might be taken to collect cells from your eyelid.
Tests for women
Chlamydia tests on women can be done with a urine sample or swab test. If a woman has a swab test, it can be taken from the cervix, or inside the lower vagina. Occasionally the doctor or nurse may advise you to have a swab test from the urethra (where urine comes out). Usually you can do a lower vaginal swab yourself, although sometimes a nurse or doctor may do it.
If you have had anal or oral sex you might also be offered a swab test taken from the rectum or throat. This isn’t done on everyone.
Routine cervical screening tests (smear tests) do not detect chlamydia. You will need to tell the doctor or nurse if you would also like to be tested for chlamydia at the same time.
Tests for men
Men will usually have a chlamydia test on a urine sample. Occasionally, a swab test may be taken from the urethra (the tube where urine comes out) at the tip of the penis.
If you have had anal or oral sex you might also be offered a swab test taken from the rectum or throat. This isn’t done on everyone.
How reliable is a chlamydia test?
The accuracy of tests varies, depending on the type of test that is used. Recommended tests are 90-95% sensitive. This means that they will detect chlamydia in most people who have the infection. Some tests you can buy may be less reliable.
Remember that no test is 100% accurate. There is a small chance that a test may show negative even when you have chlamydia. This is called a false negative test result. It is also possible for a test to be positive even when you do not have chlamydia. This is called a false positive test result. Both of these false tests are very rare but can sometimes explain why you get a different result to your sexual partner.
How is chlamyda infection treated?
Chlamydia infection is often treated with antibiotics. A convenient single-dose therapy for chlamydia is 1 gm of azithromycin (Zithromax, Zmax) by mouth. Alternative treatments are often used, however, because of the high cost of this medication. The most common alternative treatment is a 100 mg oral dose of doxycycline (Vibramycin, Oracea, Adoxa, Atridox and others) twice per day for seven days. Unlike gonorrhea, there has been little, if any, resistance of chlamydia to currently used antibiotics. There are many other antibiotics that also have been effective against chlamydia. As with gonorrhea, a condom or other protective barrier prevents the spread of the infection. Latest researches show that genital chlamydia infection can be treated with appropriate herbal formulas as well.
Treat Female Chlamydia Infection - Fuyan Pill
male chlamydia, as one of pathogens, largely exist in human body. We are always asked by chlamydia infection patients that what the effective treatment of chlamydia infection is. To answer this question, Dr.Lee can help.
From a netizen: What are treatments of male symptoms of chlamydia? It would be appreciate if you tell me some information about this question.
Dr.Lee: Hello! Thank you for your trust. In some certain item, chlamydia can lead to cervical infection, premature delivery, miscarriage, and urinary tract infections. Especially when it combines with other pathogens, such as gonococcus, more serious condition and complications can occur. In fact, chlamydia trachomatis grow widely in cervix uteri and male and female urinary system.
About the question " treatment of chlamydia infection in women", you can consult our doctors on line. Besides, descriptions referring symptoms of chlamydia infection, matters need attention and cost will all be answered. Next, let's see some common problems which will occur in chlamydia patients.
Causes of chlamydia infection in women
When chlamydia infects human body, it firstly affects columnar epithelial cells and grows in it. And then it enters and proliferates cells in mononuclear phagocyte system. Because of the progenitive chlamydia, the infected cells befall massive dead. At the same time, it can get away from parasitifer immune defense and gain spasmodical protection. Pathogenesis of chlamydia, as we always mentioned, is that it inhibits metabolism of the infected cells, causes dissolution or destruction of cells, lysosomal enzyme release and induces toxic action of metabolites. Potentially, those consequences can give rise to allergy and autoimmunity.
Symptoms of chlamydia infection in women
Chlamydia can not only cast its net wider to the whole genital reproductive organs instead of urethra merely. Usually, subjective symptoms are not so noticeable or sometimes, they are too slight. However, after long time being infected and spreaded, lession huge must befall huge damage. Generally, women are thornier than men because women have to suffer more symptoms. Plus, cervix is the main target to be infected, and its sequela is infertility.
We have clearly understood most medications of chlamydia infection include antibiotic. If chlamydia patients do not cured by antibiotic, the result is unpredictable and desperate. Treatment can't last for long because once pathogens can't be eliminated in a short time, other parts will be infected, which finally brings about pathological changes. Dr.Lee is an expert in this field. She has already studied chlamydia treatment for almost thirty years. She emphasized that we must comprehend its pathogenesis and find out the relevant medication. How to directly kill pathogens in lessions is a big problem. If it is solved, the disease can be neatly. Traditional Chinese medicine Fuyan Pill, is such a medicine which can directly enter focus and destroy harmful pathogens. Dr.Lee introduced that it is a specific medicine which is applied to settle gynecological disease.
Antibiotics for Pregnant Women with Chlamydia
chlamydia bacteria is a bacterial infection that is caused by Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria and can be transmitted through oral, anal and vaginal sexual contact. Men and women can both be affected by Chlamydia, but symptoms of the infection are not always present. In fact, up to 75% of women and 50% of men experience no symptoms of Chlamydia.
However, long-term complications can develop if left untreated. Left untreated, chlamydia and gonorrhea in women can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which in turn can cause infertility and damage to the reproductive organs. Untreated Chlamydia in men can cause epididymitis, which can lead to sterility. While it is possible to cure Chlamydia through antibiotics, this treatment cannot undo any damage that may have already occurred in your reproductive organs. Therefore, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as you suspect you may have Chlamydia.
Pregnant women with untreated chlamydia infections are at high risk for pregnancy and labor complications, as well as transmitting eye infections and pneumonia to newborn babies.
A review found eleven trials, involving 1449 women, on erythromycin, amoxycillin, azithromycin and clindamycin, and the overall trial quality was good. However, all the trials assessed 'microbiological cure' (that is they looked for an eradication of the infection) and none assessed whether the eye or lung problems for the baby were reduced. Also, none of the trials were large enough to assess potential adverse outcomes adequately. The review found amoxycillin was an effective alternative to erythromycin but lack of long-term assessment of outcomes caused concern about its routine use in practice. If erythromycin is used, some women may stop taking it because of adverse effects. Azithromycin and clindamycin are potential alternatives.
Pregnant women with chlamydia are commonly treated with amoxicillin or erythromycin. These are not the only antibiotics prescribed, but they are the most commonly prescribed medications for treatment of chlamydia in pregnant women. Tetracyclines taken in pregnancy are known to be associated with teeth and bone abnormalities in babies, and some women find erythromycin unpleasant to take because of feeling sick and vomiting.
Notice
- Take all prescribed medication as directed until gone, even if your symptoms disappear. Notify your doctor if you began to feel worse or develop new symptoms after taking medication. This can be an indication of possible side effects.
- Contact your physician if the symptoms do not disappear within 2 weeks of completing your prescription.
How is Chlamydia Acquired?
chlamydia and gonorrhea, an obligate intracellular human pathogen, widely parasitize human beings. Only in a small group people can Chlamydia trachomatis be morbific. Chlamydia is usually passed from one person to another during sex. How is chlamydia acquired?
The infection is most commonly spread through:
- unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex
- sharing sex toys if you don’t wash them or cover them with a new condom each time they’re used.
Infected semen or vaginal fluid coming into contact with the eye can cause conjunctivitis.
chlamydia signs can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby.
It is not yet clear if chlamydia can be spread by transferring infected semen or vaginal fluid to another person's genitals on the fingers or through rubbing vulvas (female genitals) together.
You cannot catch chlamydia from kissing, hugging, sharing baths or towels, swimming pools, toilet seats or from sharing cups, plates or cutlery.
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