Chlamydia Infection: What You Need To Know About Chlamydia Including Treatment Options.

Chlamydia Infection: What You Need To Know About Chlamydia Including Treatment Options.

What is Chlamydia?

Chlamydia is a common Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) caused by a bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia is very common to Gonorrhea in terms of its symptoms and ways of transmission. It is important to know that both men and women infected with chlamydia do not have any symptoms and may not be aware that they have chlamydia.

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In women, chlamydia infection can cause permanent damage to fallopian tubes and can lead to future infertility and an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy. Chlamydia infection during pregnancy also increases a woman's risk of preterm labor and of having a baby with low birth weight.

Causes of Chlamydia

Chlamydia infection is caused by chlamydia trachomatis bacteria. When an infection is present, the bacteria can be present in the vagina, cervix, urethra and rectum of an infected person. It can also live in the throat. Any type of sexual contact (like vaginal, anal or oral) with an infected person can spread the disease. 

Young people who are sexually active are at risk for chlamydia.

An infected mother can also spread the disease to her baby during birth as the baby passes through the vaginal canal.

The most common complications of chlamydia infection are pneumonia and eye damage in the newborn which is acquired through birth.

Even after treatment for chlamydia, it is possible to have the infection again. With chlamydia, repeat infection is common.

What are the signs and symptoms of chlamydia infection?

Most of the women with chlamydia have no sings or symptoms of the infection, so it may be impossible to to know if you have chlamydia. It has been referred to "silent" infection for this reason. However since the infection can cause permanent damage to reproductive organs, it is still important to diagnose and treat this infection. The most common manifestation of chlamydia infection is inflammation of the cervix (cervicitis) in women.

When symptoms do occur, they are very similar to those caused by gonorrhea. Symptoms, if they do appear, may take up to several weeks after the initial infection to develop. Symptoms of chlamydia infection can include abdominal pain and vaginal discharge. Infection of the urethra can produce the characteristic symptoms urinary tract infections (UTI) , including burning or pain with urination, hematuria (bloody urine), feeling of urinary urgency (feeling a continuous need to urinate) and excessive urination.

If chlamydia infection is not treated, about 30% of cases spread within the pelvic organs, leading to a condition know as Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases (PID). Symptoms of PID include pelvic pain, fever, pain with sexual intercourse, cramping and abdominal pain. PID can cause scarring and damage to reproductive organs that may result in infertility.

Infected men also may not show symptoms. If symptoms are present, these can include burning with urination, penile discharge, and less commonly, pain or swelling in one or both testicles.

How to diagnose chlamydia infection?

Diagnosis of chlamydia infection relies upon on laboratory test to demonstrate that the organism is present, either through culture or identification of the genetic material of the bacteria. Culture is an older and time consuming method of of identifying the bacteria and is no longer routinely in used. For routine diagnostic purposes, rapid test that identify the bacterial genetic material are commonly used. These are referred to as nucleic acid amplification tests or NAATs. The specimen for NAATs can be obtain at the time of gynecologic examination by swabbing the cervix, but diagnostic tests can be run on urine sample or self collected vaginal swabs.

The US centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that sexually active women 25 years of age and younger should be tested, as well as women over 25 who have new or multiple sex partners.

How chlamydia is treated?

Chlamydia is treated with antibiotic therapy. Antibiotics can be given as a single dose or a seven day course.

Woman should abstain from sexual intercourse during the seven day course of treatment or for seven days after single dose treatment to avoid spreading the infection to others. The common antibiotics used to treat chlamydia infection are azithromycin and doxycycline, but other antibiotics may be successfully used as well. Pregnant women may be safely treated for chlamydia infection with antibiotics, like amoxicillin and erythromycin ethylsuccinte, but not doxycycline. Sex partners of a person diagnosed with chlamydia should also be tested and treated if necessary, to avoid reinfection and further spread.

Women whose sex partners have not been treated are at a high risk for developing a reinfection.

What is the prognosis for a woman with chlamydia?

As discussed previously, chlamydia infection can progress to PID if left untreated, which can have serious consequences.

Complications include permanent damage to reproductive organs, including infertility and an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy. Chlamydia infection in pregnancy can also lead to low birth weight premature births as well as pneumonia and eye damage in the new born baby.

Having an untreated chlamydia infection can also increase a person's risk for acquiring HIV infection. It can also increase the risk that a person with HIV infection will transmit the infection to others during sexual intercourse.

How to prevent chlamydia?

Since most people who have the infection do not have symptoms and may not be aware they are infected, it is commonly spread, and it can be difficult to prevent the infection. Male condoms can reduce the risk of spreading the infection. Having a mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested or treated also reduces the risk of contracting the infection.

Sources:

www.medicinenet.com