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Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease. In fact, it is the most frequently reported bacterial STD in the United States, affecting approximately 2.8 million Americans per year. This curable infection is spread through sexual contact between infected individuals. The more sex partners a person has, the greater the risk of becoming infected. Treatment for chlamydia generally involves a course of antibiotics.
Chlamydia is a curable sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis.
An estimated 2.8 million Americans get chlamydia each year. Women are often reinfected, meaning they get the STD again if their sex partners are not treated. Reinfections place women at higher risk for serious reproductive health complications, including infertility.
Sexually active women and men can get the disease through sexual contact with an infected person. Chlamydia can be passed during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
Because there are often no symptoms, people who are infected may unknowingly pass the disease to their sex partners.
An infected mother can also pass chlamydia to her baby during childbirth. Babies born to infected mothers can get pneumonia or infections in their eyes, also called conjunctivitis.
The more sex partners a person has, the greater the risk of getting infected. Chlamydia is easily confused with gonorrhea, another STD. Gonorrhea and chlamydia have similar symptoms and can have similar complications if not treated, but the two STDs have different treatments.
Symptoms of Chlamydia
Symptoms may affect both men and women. However, chlamydia is often known as a "silent" disease, because most people who are infected show no symptoms. Common chlamydia symptoms in women, if they do occur, may include abnormal vaginal discharge or a burning sensation when urinating. Men with chlamydia signs and symptoms might have discharge from their penis or a burning sensation when urinating.
Diagnosing Chlamydia
There are two common methods of diagnosing chlamydia:
- Testing fluid from the vagina or penis
- Urine testing.
Diagnosing the disease as early as possible can be extremely beneficial, as treatment can begin that much sooner and complications possibly avoided.
How Is the Disease Treated?
Chlamydia treatment usually consists of antibiotics, which can cure the infection. All sex partners should be evaluated, tested, and get treatment for the disease as well. People should also abstain from sexual intercourse until they and their sex partners have completed treatment. Doctors, local health departments, and STD and family-planning clinics can offer more information about treating chlamydia.
Associated Complications
If left untreated, chlamydia can progress to serious reproductive and other health problems, with both short-term and long-term consequences. It can cause serious problems in men and women (such as penile discharge and infertility, respectively), as well as in newborn babies of infected mothers.
Like the disease itself, the damage that chlamydia causes is often "silent."
(Click Chlamydia Complications for more information.)
Chlamydia in Pregnancy
Chlamydia in pregnancy can potentially harm the child. Because a baby can be exposed to the bacteria in the birth canal during delivery, he or she may develop eye infections (conjunctivitis) or pneumonia. Many women with the disease may also develop PID (pelvic inflammatory disease), a serious infection of the reproductive organs, which can cause scarring of the fallopian tubes and prevent egg fertilization from taking place.
Statistics on Chlamydia
Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial STD in the United States. In 2002, 834,555 infections were reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) from 50 states and the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.).
Under-reporting is substantial, because most people with chlamydia are not aware of their infections and do not seek testing. Also, testing is not often done if people are treated for their symptoms. An estimated 2.8 million Americans are infected each year. Women are frequently reinfected if their sex partners are not treated.
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
