Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs In Men) (cont.)
Chlamydia
What is chlamydia?
Chlamydia is an infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis that
most often occurs in sexually active adolescents and young adults. It can cause
urethritis and the resultant complicating infections of epididymitis and
orchitis. Recent studies have proven, however, that both infected men and
infected women commonly lack symptoms of chlamydia infection. Thus, these
individuals can unknowingly spread the infection to others. Consequently,
sexually active individuals should be routinely evaluated for chlamydial
urethritis. Note that another strain (type) of Chlamydia trachomatis, which can
be distinguished in specialized laboratories, causes LGV (see above).
How is chlamydia treated?
A convenient single dose therapy for chlamydia is azithromycin (Zithromax) 1
gram by mouth. Alternative treatments are often used, however, because of the
high cost of this medication. The most common alternative treatment is
doxycycline 100 mg twice per day for 7 days taken by mouth. Patients should
abstain from sex for 7 days after the start of treatment and to notify all of
their sexual contacts. People with chlamydia are often infected with other STDs
and therefore should undergo testing for other infections that may be present at
the same time. Their sexual contacts should also then be evaluated for
chlamydial infection.
The most common reason for the recurrence of chlamydia infection is the
failure of the partners of infected persons to receive treatment. The originally
infected person then becomes reinfected from the untreated partner. Other
reasons are the failure to correctly follow one of the 7-day treatment regimens
or the use of erythromycin for treatment, which has been shown to be somewhat
less effective than azithromycin or doxycycline. Complicated chlamydial
infections, epididymitis, and orchitis are generally treated with a standard
single-dose therapy as used for Neisseria gonorrhea (described below) and 10
days of treatment for Chlamydia trachomatis with doxycycline. In this situation,
a single dose therapy for chlamydia is not an option.
What should a person do if exposed to someone with Chlamydia?
Persons who know that they have been exposed to someone with chlamydia should
be evaluated for the symptoms of urethritis and tested for evidence of
inflammation and infection. If infected, they should be treated appropriately.
Many doctors recommend treating all individuals exposed to an infected person if
the exposure was within the 60 days preceding the partner's diagnosis.
Next: Gonorrhea »
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