Gonorrhea
is an infection caused by the Gonococcus bacterium. In men, it is marked by a
thick, white discharge from the penis and a burning pain when urinating.
In
women, gonorrhea may infect the cervix. There may be mild pain and a discharge.
If the urethra is infected, there may be a burning sensation during urination.
However, women's symptoms are most often mild or simply unnoticeable. Even so,
it is important to treat the infection because gonorrhea can lead to pelvic inflammatory
disease (see below).
When
gonorrhea is transmitted during anal or oral sex, painful infection of the rectum
or throat may occur in both men and women.
Chlamydia
Infection by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium is the leading cause of nongonococcal
urethritis in men. This condition consists of pain or burning during urination,
a thin discharge from the penis, and staining on underwear. Chlamydial infection
may also inflame the sperm-collecting tubules in the scrotum and eventually cause
sterility. A man infected with chlamydia may be infected simultaneously with Ureaplasma
urealyticum, which also causes urethritis.
In
women, a chlamydial infection may cause a thin vaginal discharge, pain during
urination, or pain in the lower abdomen about 10 to 20 days after exposure. However,
women often do not notice any early symptoms. Chlamydia may also lead to pelvic
inflammatory disease.
Pelvic
Inflammatory Disease Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection of
the uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries and usually results from either gonorrhea
or chlamydial infection.
The
disease typically develops in two stages. First the infection attacks the cervix
(the lower part of the uterus). It then spreads to the uterus, fallopian tubes,
and ovaries. Sometimes PID starts directly within the uterus when germs gain entry
following childbirth, abortion, or the insertion of an intrauterine contraceptive
device (IUD). This, however, is rare.
Since
PID causes scar tissue to form, there is up to a 25 percent risk of infertility.
PID is also the single most common cause of tubal pregnancy, in which a fertilized
egg begins to grow while still in the fallopian tube, instead of the uterus. If
the tube bursts, the woman could die.
Genital
Warts Genital warts (condyloma) are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV)
and look much like other warts. They usually occur near the tip of the penis in
men. In women, the warts appear on the vulva, in the vagina, on the cervix of
the uterus, or near the anus.
Genital
warts are flat, hard, and painless when they first appear. If allowed to grow,
however, they develop a "cauliflower" appearance and hurt when pressed.
Genital warts tend to get bigger during pregnancy. In rare instances, very large
warts may interfere with childbirth, making a cesarean section necessary.
There
are several types of HPV. Some types can cause precancerous cell changes in the
tissues of a woman's vulva, anus, cervix, or vagina. An invasive cervical cancer
can be fatal, which is why women with genital warts should have a Pap test at
least once a year.
Vaginitis
Vaginitis, or inflammation of the vagina, is an extremely common gynecological
problem. Some types of vaginitis occur because of irritation from tampons, tight
clothing, or frequent douching. Other types develop as a side effect of birth
control pills or treatment with antibiotics, which may encourage fungal infections.
Two
types of vaginitis, however, can be transmitted sexually: Bacterial vaginosis
is caused by an overgrowth of several bacteria; trichomoniasis is caused by a
one-celled organism called a protozoon. Although these infections do not carry
dire consequences, they do cause burning, itching, discharge, and odor, and should
certainly be treated.
In
either case, it is important for both sexual partners to be treated at the same
time. Men may harbor these organisms without showing any symptoms. Unless both
partners are cured, the couple could keep passing the problem back and forth.
Cervical
Cancer: A Deadly STD
dib
Normal
cervix: Like skin, the surface of the cervix is constantly being replaced with
new cells from below. Generated by division of the basal cells, these new cells
rise as older ones are shed from the surface.
Cervical
dysplasia: Triggered by an HPV infection, the cervical basal cells may go into
overdrive, producing an excessive number of new -- but malformed -- replacement
cells. These cells are not cancerous, but signal the danger of cancer to come.
Invasive
cancer of the cervix:As the condition progresses, truly malignant cells develop
and migrate downward into underlying tissues. Unchecked, the disease can be fatal.
Genital
Herpes
Infection
by the Herpes simplex virus causes red bumps. These bumps change to watery blisters
and then rupture, leaving little hollow spots that may ooze or bleed. The first
attack is often accompanied by high fever and swollen lymph nodes in the groin.which
also causes urethritis.
In
men, genital herpes sores may develop on the penis, scrotum, buttocks, anus, or
thighs. The sores can also develop inside the urethra (urinary passage), remaining
invisible but possibly causing a thin discharge and painful urination.
Women
develop herpes sores on the outer genital area, buttocks, or thighs, or in the
vagina or cervix. The sores may cause vaginal discharge, pain during urination,
inflammation of the vulva, and aching or pain in the entire genital region.
Herpes
sores usually scab over and heal within a week to 10 days, even without treatment.
However, because the virus continues to live inside the body, a man or woman can
pass on the infection even when the sores have disappeared. Outbreaks of sores
may recur periodically. A tingling sensation in the genitals often announces the
development of a new outbreak.
Pregnant
women infected with herpes are at risk for miscarriage or premature delivery.
A woman may pass herpes on to her baby during childbirth. This happens rarely,
but can cause blindness, brain damage, and infant death.
Syphilis
The spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum causes syphilis. The infection
develops in distinct stages:
The
first symptom is often a painless but highly infectious sore called a chancre.
The sore develops from nine to 90 days after exposure and is sometimes accompanied
by swollen lymph glands in the groin. Chancres may occur on the genitals or on
the mouth, lips, breast, anus, or even the fingertips. The chancre often goes
unnoticed in women because it develops inside the vagina. Some infected people
never do get a chancre sore. Although a chancre disappears within one to five
weeks, the syphilis bacteria remain in the body.
Stage
two starts a week to six months later and involves a rash, mouth sores, and/or
flu symptoms (headache, mild fever, aching joints). By this time, the bacteria
have multiplied and spread, and the disease can be transmitted just by kissing.
Stage
three, the latent stage, begins approximately a year after initial infection and
lasts 10 to 20 years. There are no noticeable signs of the disease during this
period, and after several years the disease is no longer contagious. However,
the syphilis bacteria may be silently invading the heart, brain, or other organs.
Stage
four is the late stage. Depending on which organs have been attacked, the accumulated
damage may cause heart disease, blindness, mental illness, or crippling.
If
syphilis is not treated during pregnancy, the mother-to-be may pass the disease
on to her baby, and the infant could be born dead, deformed, or diseased.
Before
syphilis was curable, it was the most dreaded of the sexually transmitted diseases.
The advent of penicillin in the 1940s brought a large and gratifying drop in the
syphilis rate. Indeed, the reported rate of syphilis in the United States is now
at the lowest level since reporting began in 1941. This unprecedented decline
in syphilis, combined with the fact that most cases are concentrated in only 20
percent of U.S. counties, has created a unique but narrow window of opportunity
to entirely eliminate syphilis in the United States. In 1999, public health officials
unveiled a national plan with precisely that goal.
Hepatitis
B Like AIDS, hepatitis B is caused by a virus and can be transmitted via sexual
contact, bodily secretions, or blood. But unlike the virus that causes AIDS, hepatitis
B is a hardy virus and can remain infectious for quite a while, even in dried
blood, saliva, or other secretions.causes syphilis. The infection develops in
distinct stages:
Hepatitis
B begins with flu-like symptoms that disappear as jaundice, the second stage,
sets in. The person infected with hepatitis B is thin, weak, lethargic, and irritable
and has an enlarged, painful liver. The resulting liver damage is often permanent,
and one-fourth of those with hepatitis B eventually die of liver failure.
People
who know about hepatitis B fear the virus because it is so easy to catch -- especially
when compared to AIDS. A hepatitis B vaccine is available, and seems to have helped.
Although incidence of the STD was on the increase until 1985, it then declined
55 percent through 1993 because of wider use of the vaccine among adults, modification
of high-risk practices, and possibly a decrease in the number of susceptible persons.
Since 1993, increases have been recorded among the three major risk groups: heterosexuals
with multiple partners, homosexual men, and injection drug users.
Who
should get vaccinated? All babies, at birth; all children 0-18 years of age who
have not been vaccinated; people of any age whose behavior puts them at high risk
of infection; and those whose jobs expose them to human blood.
