DISEASES

Chlamydia – Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Author: John
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A kind of bacteria that is passed during sexual contact can cause chlamydia. In the United States, It is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection. Every year, about three million American women and men become infected with chlamydia. Women and men under 25 are especially easy to get the disease. Chlamydia is more than three times as common as gonorrhea and is more than 50 times as common as syphilis. The penis, vagina, cervix, anus, urethra, eye, or throat can be infected by Chlamydia.


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Chlamydia Causes

Vaginal and anal intercourse spread chlamydia. It is spread by touching your eye with your hand or during oral sex rarely. During birth, it can also be spread from a woman to her fetus. Chlamydia can’t be passed through by casual contact.


Chlamydia Symptoms

Symptoms of chlamydia
Sufferers, especially women, get no symptom from chlamydia usual. 70-95 percent of women and 50 percent of men with chlamydia have no symptom generally. Symptoms commonly begin in as little as 5 to 10 days after infection if sufferers do have chlamydia symptoms.


1. Symptoms in women:
abdominal pain
abnormal vaginal discharge
bleeding between menstrual periods
low-grade fever
painful intercourse
itch and bleed on anus
discharge and diarrhea
pain or a burning feeling while urinating
swelling inside the vagina or around the anus
the urge to urinate more than usual
vaginal bleeding after intercourse
a yellowish discharge from the cervix that may have a strong smell


2. Symptoms in men
itch and bleed on anus
discharge and diarrhea
pain or a burning feeling while urinating
pus or watery or milky discharge from the penis
swollen or tender testicles
swelling around the anus  

3. Complications of Chlamydia in women:
In women, chlamydia can become a serious threat to health if it is not treated. Chlamydia may cause PID — pelvic inflammatory disease — in up to 1 out of 5 women who do not get treatment. PID may affect a woman's ability to get pregnant if it is not treated. The risk for PID can be reduced significantly by testing and treatment for chlamydia.


4. Complications of chlamydia in men:
In men, chlamydia can result in a condition called epididymitis if it is not treated, it can also lead to sterility. It leads to a condition called reactive arthritis rarely. A variety of conditions, including swelling and pain in the joints that can be disabling are caused by reactive arthritis.


Chlamydia Diagnosis

Whether or not you have chlamydia symptoms, a health care provider can do tests to see if you have chlamydia. Chlamydia symptoms, such as a discharge from the cervix can be seen by your health care provider. Otherwise, a swab or other instrument may be used by the provider to take cell samples from the penis, cervix, urethra, or anus. Your urine can also be tested.


The reliability of a chlamydia test

Depending on the type of test that is used, the accuracy of tests varies. 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. If you have a false negative test result , it means there is a small chance that a test may show negative even when you have chlamydia. If you have a false positive test result, it means it is also possible for a test to be positive even when you do not have chlamydia. Both of these false tests are very rare but can sometimes explain why you get a different result to your sexual partner.


Chlamydia treatment

1. Antibiotics
You will need to take antibiotics if you have chlamydia. One type of chlamydia treatment is taken in one dose. Other kinds of chlamydia treatment must be taken for seven days. Your health care provider can help you decide which the best treatment for you is. 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 appropriate herbal formulas can also be used to treat genital chlamydia infection.


2. Herbal medicine
An alternative treatment of chlamydia is herbal medicine. Chlamydia is caused by toxic materials and urination disturbance in the view of TCM. By adding different herbs in, a complete herbal medicine can contain lots of function such as clearing toxic materials and relieving stranguria. What’s more, the immunity and self-healing ability can also be improved by herbal medicine. Women can take Fuyan Pill and men can take Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory Pill to get a cure.

3. Treatment tips
Before having sex again, both chlamydia sufferers and his or her partner must be treated. Adverse reproductive health complications and continued sexual transmission can be prevented by that way, and reinfection and infection of other partners can be prevented by treating their sex partners.

Take all of the prescribed medicine. Actually, even if the symptoms go away, it is better for patients to take one more week of antibiotics. The infection may still be in your body until the chlamydia treatment is complete. Make sure your partner(s) is/are treated before having sex again so you don't infect each other.

Your medicine can not be shared with anyone.
 
To make sure the infection is eliminated, you need to get tested again after three months.


4. Ways of preventing Chlamydia
Abstain from vaginal and anal intercourse and oral sex.
Use female or latex condoms every time if you choose to have vaginal or anal intercourse.
Giving or getting chlamydia during oral sex is rare, but you can further reduce your risk by using condoms or latex or plastic barriers.


5. Ways of avoiding chlamydia spreading
There are several ways to prevent spreading it to other people if you have chlamydia.
Make your sex partner informed of the infection.
Only have sex when treatment is complete.
Before having sex again, be sure your sex partners are tested and treated.
Use female or latex condoms every time you have vaginal or anal intercourse once you are cured and start having sex again.

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