Chlamydia (kluh-MID-ee-uh) is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia can be treated relatively easily. However, if timely treatment is not provided, it can give rise to more serious disorders such as impotency and infertility. The most concerning aspect of the disease is the lack of any obvious symptoms. For this reason, it is often called the silent STD.
When symptoms occur they are sometimes the same or similar to that of gonorrhea, another common STD. As a result, people often confuse Chlamydia with Gonorrhea. Before dealing with the treatment options available for this infection, it is important to get a clear diagnosis.
Symptoms of Chlamydia
As already stated, the symptoms of Chlamydia might remain unnoticed for a long time or one may confuse these with the symptoms of some other diseases. Still, there are some obvious symptoms that indicate the presence of Clamydia trachomatis, the bacteria which cause the disease. The symptoms, if they become apparent, do so within one to three weeks after the bacterial infection. The symptoms are different for men and women.
For women, a slight increase in vaginal discharge and inflammation of the urinary tract are the common symptoms. An affected person might feel the urge to urinate more frequently. In addition, one might feel a moderate pain while passing urine. One might also feel pain during sexual intercourse and experience bleeding after the intercourse. The menstrual periods might become irregular. Abdominal pain and eye discomforts are also associated with the occurrence of Chlamydia.
For men, the symptoms are much easier to spot than in women. The main symptom among men is the discharge of a white, water-like liquid from the penis. If one finds regular stains or liquid marks on the underwear, one should consult a physician for further testing. Another common symptom of Chlamydia is a burning sensation at the penis while passing urine.
Treatment of Chlamydia
If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should consult a physician. Previously, almost all diagnostic procedures required a close inspection of genitals for men and vaginal area for women. While such procedures were not very painful, many people find such procedures uncomfortable. At present, there are many easy and inexpensive diagnosis options such as urine testing for detecting the presence of Clamydia trachomatis.
Chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics for this disease are azithromycin and doxycycline. Azithromycin such as zithromax is normally prescribed as a single dose of 1 g. While this is slightly more expensive than the other medications, this is ideal for those who may not be able to take the medicine everyday for a week.
Doxycycline is one of the cheaper options. It has to be administered to the affected person for a course of seven days, 100 mg per day. One should take care to complete the whole course continuously without any break. If you take a break, you have to start a new course all over again.
The most important aspect here is to provide the earliest possible treatment. Not only the affected person, but his or her recent sexual partners must also undergo the diagnostic procedure. In addition, the persons must abstain from any form of sexual activity for two weeks after the treatment. Pregnant women affected by Chlamydia should take special care, as the bacteria can affect the uterus and infect the child as well.