Today our STD topic in tag “Kenali IMS” or “Get to know STD”
is about Chlamydia. This kind of STD sometimes forgotten since the sign and
symptoms often blurred and misdiagnosed with other STDs. This article was taken
from CDC fact sheet that you can personally download or view it here.
What is Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD)
caused by a bacterium. Chlamydia can infect both men and women and can cause
serious, permanent damage to a woman’s reproductive organs.
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| Chlamydia on male (Source: www.ncsdconnection.com) |
How common is Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually
transmitted infection in the United States. In 2011, 1,412,791 cases of Chlamydia
were reported to CDC from 50 states and the District of Columbia, but an
estimated 2.86 million infections occur annually. A large number of cases are
not reported because most people with Chlamydia do not have symptoms and do not
seek testing. Chlamydia is most common among young people. It is estimated that
1 in 15 sexually active females aged 14-19 years has Chlamydia.
In Indonesia, Endang R. Sedyaningsih et al, in their publication named Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and High-Risk Behaviors Among NGO's Reached Out Male Street Children in Jakarta (Year 2000) mention the number of 7.4 % for Chlamydia prevalence. This number of prevalence perhaps already out of date since higher STD prevalence survey still very rare found in general publication or resources.
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| Chlamydia in cervix (Source: www.nordostsee-baukontor.de) |
How do people get Chlamydia?
People get Chlamydia by having sex with someone who has the
infection. “Having sex” means anal, vaginal, or oral sex. Chlamydia can still
be transmitted even if a man does not ejaculate. People who have had Chlamydia
and have been treated can get infected again if they have sex with an infected
person. Chlamydia can also be spread from an infected woman to her
baby during childbirth.
Who is at risk for Chlamydia?
Any sexually active person can be infected with Chlamydia.
It is a very common STD, especially among young people. It is estimated that 1
in 15 sexually active females aged 14-19 years has Chlamydia.
Sexually active young people are at high risk of acquiring Chlamydia
for a combination of behavioral and biological reasons. Men who have sex with
men (MSM) are also at risk for Chlamydial infection since Chlamydia can be
transmitted by oral or anal sex.
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| Pic source: www.cdc.gov |
What are the symptoms of Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is known as a ‘silent’ infection because most
infected people have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they may not appear
until several weeks after exposure. Even when it causes no symptoms, Chlamydia
can damage a woman’s reproductive organs.
In women, the bacteria first infect the cervix (structure
that connects the vagina or birth canal to the uterus or womb) and/or the
urethra (urine canal). Some infected women have an abnormal vaginal discharge
or a burning sensation when urinating. Untreated infections can spread upward
to the uterus and fallopian tubes (tubes that carry fertilized eggs from the
ovaries to the uterus), causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can be
silent, or can cause symptoms such as abdominal and pelvic pain. Even if PID
causes no symptoms initially, it can lead to infertility (not being able to get
pregnant) and other complications later on.
Some infected men have discharge from their penis or a
burning sensation when urinating. Pain and swelling in one or both testicles
(known as “epididymitis”) may also occur, but is less common.
Chlamydia can also infect the rectum in men and women,
either through receptive anal sex, or possibly via spread from the cervix and
vagina. While these infections often cause no symptoms, they can cause rectal
pain, discharge, and/or bleeding (known as “proctitis”).
What complications can result from Chlamydial infection?
The initial damage that Chlamydia causes often goes
unnoticed. However, Chlamydial infections can lead to serious health problems.
In women, untreated infection can spread upward to the
uterus and fallopian tubes (tubes that carry fertilized eggs from the ovaries
to the uterus), causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can be silent,
or can cause symptoms such as abdominal and pelvic pain. Both symptomatic and
silent PID can cause permanent damage to a woman’s reproductive tract and lead
to long-term pelvic pain, inability to get pregnant, and potentially deadly
ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus).
In pregnant women, untreated Chlamydia has been associated
with pre-term delivery, and can spread to the newborn, causing an eye infection
or pneumonia.
Complications are rare in men. Infection sometimes spreads
to the tube that carries sperm from the testis, causing pain, fever, and,
rarely, preventing a man from being able to father children.
What about Chlamydia and HIV?
Untreated Chlamydia may increase a person’s chances of
acquiring or transmitting HIV – the virus that causes AIDS.
How does Chlamydia affect a pregnant woman and her baby?
In pregnant women, untreated Chlamydia has been associated
with pre-term delivery, and can spread to the newborn, causing an eye infection
or pneumonia. Screening and treatment of Chlamydia during pregnancy is the best
way to prevent these complications. All pregnant women should be screened for Chlamydia
at their first prenatal visit.
Who should be tested for Chlamydia?
Any sexually active person can be infected with Chlamydia.
Anyone with genital symptoms such as discharge, burning during urination,
unusual sores, or rash should avoid having sex until they are able to see a
health care provider about their symptoms.
Also, anyone with an oral, anal, or vaginal sex partner who
has been recently diagnosed with an STD should see a health care provider for
evaluation.
CDC recommends yearly Chlamydia testing for all sexually
active women age 25 or younger and older women with risk factors for Chlamydial
infections (e.g., women who have a new or more than one sex partner), and all
pregnant women. Any woman who is sexually active should discuss her risk
factors with a health care provider who can then determine if more frequent
testing is necessary.
Men who have sex with men (MSM) who have receptive anal sex
should be tested for Chlamydia each year. MSM who have multiple and/or
anonymous sex partners should be tested more frequently.
HIV-infected sexually active women who are age 25 or younger
or have other risk factors, and all HIV-infected patients who report having
receptive anal sex should be tested for Chlamydia at their first HIV care visit
and then at least annually. A patient’s health care provider might determine
more frequent testing is necessary, based on the patient’s risk factors.
How is Chlamydia diagnosed?
There are laboratory tests to diagnose Chlamydia. Specimens
commonly used for testing include a cotton swab of the vagina (collected by the
woman herself or her health care provider) or a urine sample.
What is the treatment for Chlamydia?
Chlamydia can be easily treated and cured with antibiotics.
HIV-positive persons with Chlamydia should receive the same treatment as those
who are HIV-negative.
Persons with Chlamydia should abstain from having sex for
seven days after single dose antibiotics, or until completion of a seven-day
course of antibiotics, to prevent spreading the infection to partners.
Repeat infection with Chlamydia is common. Persons whose sex
partners have not been appropriately treated are at high risk for re-infection.
Having multiple Chlamydial infections increases a woman’s risk of serious
reproductive health complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease and
ectopic pregnancy. Women and men with Chlamydia should be retested about three
months after treatment of an initial infection, regardless of whether they
believe that their sex partners were successfully treated.
Infants infected with Chlamydia may develop conjunctivitis
(infection of the membrane lining the eyelids) and/or pneumonia. Chlamydial
infection in infants can be treated with antibiotics.
What about partners?
If a person has been diagnosed and treated for Chlamydia, he
or she should tell all anal, vaginal, or oral sex partners from the past 2
months so that they can see a healthcare provider and be treated. This will
reduce the risk that the sex partners will develop serious complications from Chlamydia
and will also reduce the person’s risk of becoming re-infected. A person with Chlamydia
and all of his or her sex partners must avoid having sex until they have
completed their treatment for Chlamydia (i.e., seven days after a single dose
of antibiotics or until completion of a seven-day course of antibiotics) and
until they no longer have symptoms.
To help get partners treated quickly, healthcare providers
may give patients extra medicine or prescriptions to give to their sex
partners. This is called expedited partner therapy or EPT. EPT is only
available in some parts of the country. Consult a healthcare provider to find
out if it is available in a specific area. Sex partners should still be
encouraged to see a healthcare provider, regardless of whether they receive
EPT.
How can Chlamydia be prevented?
Latex male condoms, when used consistently and correctly,
can reduce the risk of getting or giving Chlamydia. The surest way to avoid Chlamydia
is to abstain from vaginal, anal, and oral sex or to be in a long-term mutually
monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be
uninfected.
