As the World Health Organization explains, chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria that exists. Knowing what is chlamydia, how to take care of ourselves, protect ourselves and what kind of test can tell us if we have or have the disease is essential to control it.
In this article we will see what symptoms you have when you get the disease, how to prevent it, what treatment to follow and much more.
Symptoms
As with most sexually transmitted diseases, most people who have the disease do not have any symptoms, so detecting it is very difficult. When there are symptoms, they are usually:
- Vaginal/penile discharge
- Pain
- Burning sensation when urinating
- Bleeding after having sex
- Bleeding between periods of menstruation
- Testicular pain
When left untreated, it can complicate and lead to other more serious diseases such as Fallopian, which is an inflammation of the fallopian tubes. This can be complicated and lead to pelvic inflammatory diseases and worsen to the point of causing eclogical pregnancy and even lead to the inability to have children.
In men it can affect the seminal ducts producing inflammation and also leading to the inability to have children.
Complications
As the Mayo Clinic explains, and we were explaining, there are many complications associated with the disease. In addition to those mentioned, the most common and serious are:
- Infection of the prostate gland: the battery can reach the prostate gland causing pain during intercourse, as well as back pain, fever and chills
- Infections in newborns: the mother can infect the baby causing pneumonia and serious eye infections.
- Reactive arthritis: Chlamydia increases the chance of developing reactive arthritis. It usually affects the joints, eyes and urethra.
Present
Today it is estimated that there are more than 130 million people with active disease and more than 100 million new cases may occur each year. You are much more likely to get chlamydia when you have gonorrhea, in fact, between 20% and 40% of people who have gonorrhea also have chlamydia.
As with gonorrhea, this bacterial disease is also becoming more difficult to treat as it is becoming increasingly resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat it. In normal cases, antibiotics for a week is enough to heal.
Finally, as usual, the first step to cure yourself, if you think you have been exposed, is to take a test to make sure if you really have the disease and, if you do, start the necessary treatment.
David Peña Neira
SEM specialist at Civitatis. Digital marketing and data analysis expert with experience in planning and implementing digital campaigns and as product manager. Graduated from a Master in Big Data and another in Digital Marketing