Unfortunately, in the modern world, there are diseases that have spread so widely throughout the planet that they can be described as epidemics - these are STDs (sexually transmitted diseases).
One of the reasons for such a total spread of infections such as chlamydia, mycoplasmosis and ureaplasmosis, doctors consider the course of the disease with mild symptoms. Often a person simply does not know that he is a carrier, and passes chlamydia and ureaplasma to his partners. But the second reason is the negligence of the patients themselves, the wrong way of life and ignorance of the existence of such diseases. According to medical research, several types of pathogens can be present in the human body at once. So, when chlamydia is diagnosed, trichomoniasis, ureaplasma and mycoplasma are found too.
Chlamydia is…
Chlamydia is one of the most common infections caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia), transmitted mainly through sexual contact. According to WHO studies, about 30%people around the world are infected with chlamydia. This disease, as a rule, occurs in the presence of other infectious infections. Often, not only chlamydia, ureaplasmosis are diagnosed, but also pathologies caused by microorganisms such as gardnerella, papilloma, mycoplasma, etc. In this regard, if at least one infection from the list is detected, it is necessary to pass an analysis for chlamydia.
Reason for development
The causative agent of chlamydia is the exceptional microorganism Chlamydia trachomatis, which carries the properties of bacteria and viruses. This is manifested in the possibility of infection to lead a parasitic lifestyle inside the cell. A pathogen is similar in structure to a virus. Such features are given by nature for the double protection of chlamydia. Diagnosing chlamydia is truly difficult.
Infection is very common not only among people, but also in nature. Scientists have identified chlamydia in the flora and fauna of the planet - birds, domestic and wild animals, mollusks, even some plant species have chlamydial infections.
Scientists divided chlamydia into several types:
- Chlamydia psittaci - found in birds that can carry the infection and infect humans by airborne droplets. This species can cause pneumonia, arthritis, pyelonephritis.
- Chlamydia pecorum - this infection can be contracted from animals, because they are the first to infect microorganisms.
- Chlamydia pneumoniae - Chlamydia infection from humans.
- Chlamydophila felis - these microorganisms cause disease in animals,which, in turn, can infect humans. The disease is manifested by frequent conjunctivitis (in both humans and animals).
- Chlamydophila caviae - This type of pathogen causes genital ailments in infected people.
- Chlamydia trachomatis - patients infected with this type of chlamydia can have disorders in the functioning of any organ in the body.
The life of chlamydia is divided into two stages: infectious and reticular. During the first cycle, the microorganism attaches to the cell, penetrates into it and begins to grow, transforming into a reticular body. It is noteworthy that several bacteria can settle in one cell at the same time. At the second stage, chlamydia parasitizes inside the cell, starts dividing and, as soon as it reaches maturity, and this is after 48 hours on average, it breaks through the membrane, and a new colony of bacteria enters the body to attack the next cells.
Transmission routes
Chlamydia is very easy to catch in today's society. The causes of infection are unprotected sex or indiscriminate change of partners. Transmission of chlamydia is possible through sexual intercourse between heterosexual couples and homosexual relationships. If there was vaginal sex, then the genitourinary organs are affected, with anal sex - the rectum, oral will lead to infection of the throat and respiratory tract. By and large, absolutely anyone can be infected with chlamydia.
Chlamydia is one of the few STDs, the infection of which can also occur in everyday life. This can lead to:
- shaking the hand of an infected person;
- sharing utensils - cup or spoon;
- general hygiene products - towels, washcloths;
- general underwear.
Special care should be taken by women who are preparing to give birth to offspring. Chlamydia from an infected mother can be transmitted to the fetus and lead to pregnancy complications, intrauterine developmental disorders of the baby or negative consequences after birth.
Chlamydia, caused by bacteria of the species pecorum and psittaci, is transmitted to humans through contact with birds or animals. Often, people who are in close contact with representatives of the fauna are at risk. These are zookeepers, veterinarians, etc.
Development processes
As already known, the development period of the pathogen is three to four days. First of all, the mucous membranes of the internal genital organs are usually affected. The bacterium attaches itself to the host cell, enters it, multiplies and leaves its temporary home, destroying its shell.
The incubation period lasts about a month, to be exact from 20 to 30 days. So, during this time, it is impossible to diagnose chlamydia using methods known to medicine.
When the cells of the mucous membranes die, active substances of a biological nature are released, provoking an increase in blood flow, a decrease in the functions of the cell membrane and an increase in the number of lymphocytes in tissues. Inflammation starts. From the focus, the infection moves along the lymph between the lymph nodes and spreads alongthroughout the body. Scientists believe that chlamydia can affect any organ and tissue, but the tissues of the genitourinary system, joints and eyes are most often affected.
A person's immune system can respond differently to chlamydia. This tends to cause a chronic chlamydial infection. So, at the beginning of menstruation in women, taking oral contraceptives, with the banal fatigue of the body from physical labor or psycho-emotional overload, the immune system weakens and becomes vulnerable. In this regard, infection and the course of the disease may be asymptomatic. But not always.
Symptoms
Predominant signs in men and women may appear from time to time during the incubation period, under the influence of some factors - alcohol consumption, active sexual intercourse, stress or eating spicy food. Symptoms of chlamydia are presented in three forms:
- spicy;
- chronic;
- asymptomatic.
Only 60 out of 100 infections show symptoms, according to clinical studies.
Chlamydia can affect not only the genitourinary system, but also other systems and organs:
1. Eyes. The disease is accompanied by conjunctivitis, in which the shell of the eye turns red, there are unpleasant sensations when blinking, tearing and yellowish discharge. These signs resemble the usual inflammation of the conjunctiva, but in this case the cause of the disease is completely different - chlamydia. Symptoms (a photo of the affected organ of vision is presented below) may havedifferent intensities and appear both together and separately.
2. Brain. The disease is manifested by encephalopathy, in which breathing stops at times and convulsions appear.
3. Respiratory system. There is inflammation of the pharynx and lungs, accompanied by chlamydial pharyngitis and pneumonia.
4. Kidneys - inflammation of the kidneys.
5. Joints. Arthritis caused by chlamydia occurs with severe pain in the joints when moving.
6. Rectum - chlamydial proctitis.
7. Simultaneous damage to internal organs - chlamydia of the heart, liver and lungs. In fact, it is one of the most complex diseases.
Since many of the listed signs are characteristic of other diseases, it is not always possible for patients to understand that they have chlamydia. Only a doctor can correctly recognize and prescribe symptoms and treatment, and since not everyone goes to the clinic with the slightest deterioration in well-being, therapy can be delayed for an indefinite period, which leads to the development of complications.
Symptoms in women
When infected with chlamydia, a woman may notice:
- discharge of white or yellowish color with an unpleasant odor from the genitals;
- groin discomfort - burning, slight pain, itching;
- painful periods and pain preceding them (is a symptom, provided that such phenomena have not been noticed before);
- small bleeding in the middle of the cycle;
- weakness, fever;
- pain during and after intercourse.
Symptoms in men
With chlamydia, men can feel discomfort in the urethra (due to inflammation) for several months. Other symptoms may be added to everything else:
- small glassy discharge from the urethra (mostly in the morning);
- minor pain in the genitals and lumbar;
- increased body temperature, weakening of the body;
- darkening urine mixed with pus (veins);
- appearance of drops of blood during urination or ejaculation;
- perineal discomfort during intercourse;
- pain in the groin, near the anus and in the prostate;
- decrease in sexual activity, decrease in the amount of sperm, as well as a change in its color.
Chlamydia disease in men is often mild and blurred, and the development of the disease is slow.
When children get sick
A newborn baby can get chlamydia in three ways:
1. When passing through the birth canal of an infected mother. In this case, the baby can become infected with chlamydial conjunctivitis. The disease will manifest itself with abundant discharge from the baby's eyes after five or six days. If during childbirth the child did not become infected from the mother, then there is a high probability of infection through breast milk.
2. In utero. Chlamydia crosses the placenta into the bodyfuture baby. As a rule, the diagnosis of the disease in the expectant mother occurs even before the birth of the baby, therefore, in the first hours after the birth of the baby, doctors will carry out all the necessary tests to identify the disease. With a probability of 70%, a newborn acquires chlamydia from a sick mother.
3. By contact with an infected person in the first days after birth. Therefore, you should monitor the he alth of the baby and, with the slightest deviation, pass all the required tests.
In adolescence, infection can occur through everyday contact - when visiting the pool, from shaking hands with a sick person and other contacts. The pathogen manifests itself, as in the case of adults, weakly, the symptoms are mild. In this regard, in order to detect infection early, it is recommended to examine children systematically.
Chlamydia in children and adolescents is dangerous with possible complications. These could be:
- chronic inflammatory processes of the urinary organs;
- problems in girls with future childbearing;
- fallopian tube adhesions;
- cervical cancer.
Symptoms in newborns can manifest as:
- Conjunctivitis - purulent souring of the eyes, gluing of the eyelids after sleep, redness of the eye. Such symptoms appear for a month.
- Pneumonia - respiratory disorders, pallor of the skin, regurgitation after feeding, lingering cough.
- Skin inflammations and rashes.
- Urethritis in boys or vaginitis in girls.
Symptomatologyadolescents is the same as that of adults.
If chlamydia is diagnosed in children, treatment is carried out according to general schemes, with the only condition that dose adjustment is required according to the patient's weight. So, the therapy of newborns involves the use of various means, which include antibiotics, the intake of vitamin complexes, physiotherapy exercises. To treat the disease in adolescents, antibiotics, antifungal and immunosuppressive drugs, and vitamins are used.
Diagnosis
Since the symptoms of this disease are rather non-specific, with the most minor deviations in the state of he alth of the genitourinary system, you should seek the advice of a doctor. Women should visit a gynecologist and men a urologist. Also, a visit to a dermatovenereologist will not hurt.
To accurately determine the disease, it is necessary to identify the microorganism that caused the infection - chlamydia. For the diagnosis of chlamydia, as a rule, several methods are used at once:
- microscopic;
- serological;
- using DNA probes;
- enzyme immunoassay;
- highlighting the infection in the cell;
- by PCR and LCR methods;
- TA;
- PIF.
It is necessary to pay attention that, by examining only one smear (scraping), it is impossible to detect an infection with 100% certainty. A specialist can only assume the presence of a disease, otherwise confirmation by other diagnostic methods is required.
If a person is found to have chlamydia, then they should be tested for chlamydia and their sexual partner, even if they do not have symptoms.
Complications
Since the disease occurs with minor symptoms, a person may not know about infection for a long time. And at this time, sexual chlamydia can provoke the development of cystitis, prostatitis, pyelonephritis, infertility, erectile dysfunction, cause gynecological diseases of the uterus and its cervix, as well as inflammation of the appendages. In most cases, couples who decide to have a child face the problem of infertility, which can be caused by chlamydia. According to researchers, every sixth couple has problems with childbearing, and in half of the cases the man is unable to conceive.
A serious danger to the human body is not only chlamydia itself, but also complications after the disease. Men who have had this disease may develop vesiculitis and prostatitis, again leading to infertility. In addition, if the infection has penetrated the urinary system, then the development of cystitis is likely. And with advanced forms of chlamydia, narrowing of the urethra is possible.
In women, the likelihood of ectopic pregnancy in the presence of chlamydia increases several times. There may be obstruction of the fallopian tubes and endometritis. And during childbirth, the expectant mother can infect her baby, moreover, sometimes the fetus becomes infected in utero, through the placenta, which is fraught with he alth problems for the baby and a general complication of the course of pregnancy.
Chlamydia leads todamage not only to the genitals and urinary system. So, with Reiter's syndrome, joints, skin are affected, the disease causes inflammation of the eyes and other diseases.
Treatment
The recovery process is more difficult than when the body is infected with other bacteria. This is due to the fact that chlamydia adapt well to drugs and are able to avoid them. In this case, therapy must be carried out as soon as possible. An important nuance: with chlamydia, treatment is indicated for both partners. At the end of the drug course, a re-diagnosis should be carried out. If pathogenic bacteria are not found, then the test is postponed for a month. Women need to be screened before menstruation. If in the end the tests did not give a positive result, then the scheme was chosen correctly, and the disease receded.
Chlamydia treatment includes:
- use of antibacterial drugs;
- use of immunomodulating agents to maintain immune functions;
- restoration of mucosal microflora.
So, chlamydia is a disease caused by an infection inside the cell, and antibiotics are prescribed for its treatment, penetrating and accumulating in the affected cells, stopping the intracellular processes of protein synthesis.
In addition to taking antibiotics, patients begin immunomodulatory therapy. It eliminates the changes in immunity that have occurred in the body of a person infected with chlamydia.
The final stage of antichlamydial therapy isthe use of drugs aimed at the prevention and elimination of intestinal dysbacteriosis. To do this, they take probiotics - medications containing live beneficial bifidobacteria.
Another way to treat chlamydia is to treat the vagina with specialized disinfectants, use antifungal drugs to exclude the possible addition of candidiasis. The intake of vitamin complexes, antiparasitic drugs and the introduction of enzymes into the body help to increase the resistance of the immune system to infection.
Drug treatment for men and women is generally similar. The difference is only in the local therapy.
Important! Ascorbic acid and acidic solutions are contraindicated in diseases such as chlamydia. Treatment in men (drugs are prescribed in the form of creams) consists in the treatment of the foreskin, the mouth of the urethra and the glans penis. Medicines are applied in a thin layer every day, 3 or 4 times a day, for a month. At the end of the course of therapy, you should once again consult with your doctor and undergo a second examination for chlamydia within three months. If the result is negative, we can talk about a cure.
This is how treatment for men with a diagnosis of "chlamydia" goes. Antibacterial drugs are prescribed:
- tetracycline group - "Doxycycline" and "Metacycline";
- fluoroquinolone group - "Ofloxacin" and"Ciprofloxacin";
- macrolides - Josamycin and Rovamycin.
In order to avoid relapse, treatment of the sexual partner is mandatory.
When chlamydia is detected in women, the doctor prescribes vaginal suppositories that have suitable components to effectively combat viruses, bacteria and parasites that cause trichomoniasis or chlamydia.
Treatment for women (primary medications):
- "Povidone iodine";
- "Hexicon";
- "Genefron".
These suppositories work great against infection by destroying viral cells and vital structures of pathogenic microorganisms. However, therapy is not limited to suppositories only if chlamydia is diagnosed. Treatment for women (additional drugs listed below) should be comprehensive:
- Along with antibiotics, drugs that affect immunity are prescribed - Methyluracil, Viferon, Lysozyme, Timalin, Polyoxidonium. These funds increase the protective functions of the body and contribute to the fight against chlamydia.
- Vitamins "Vitrum" or "Supradin" are prescribed. The use of these drugs is prescribed for a period of at least two months.
- To maintain the required amount of enzymes in the body, "Mezim", "Festal", "Creon" are prescribed.
- Due to excessive use of drugs throughout the course of therapyliver support is needed. To do this, use "Gepabene", "Essentiale Forte".
- On the 10th day of the course of drug treatment, physiotherapy is added - laser treatment, ultrasound and magnetic therapy.
During the therapeutic course, patients should avoid stressful situations, lead a he althy lifestyle, eat a balanced diet and stop sexual activity for the duration of the treatment. We remind you once again: both partners are undergoing therapy at the same time!
Prevention
To prevent infection with chlamydia, it is necessary to exclude promiscuity and frequent change of partners. Using condoms will minimize the chance of contracting sexually transmitted infections. If the disease nevertheless overtook, then at the end of the course of treatment, repeated examinations of all potential sexual partners should be carried out to exclude possible relapses of the disease.
