Often, infectious diseases of the genital organs are asymptomatic, but at the same time causing enormous damage to the body. The resulting inflammatory processes of the genitourinary system can cause infertility in both women and men. Often this is facilitated by a disease such as chlamydia. Its timely diagnosis and treatment can lead to a positive result. In this article, we will try to figure out how chlamydia manifests itself in men and what is the treatment regimen.
Pathogen information
Chlamydia are called pathogens of very small size, and they are mainly found inside the cells of the human body. In the systematic series, they are located between bacteria and viruses.
Chlamydia inside the cell exists and develops for three days, then the cell is completely destroyed, and the microorganisms begin to spread to other parts of the affected tissue. It is practically impossible to take a piece of material for analysis at this moment, so the microscopicthe technique for examining smears and scrapings has low information content.
According to statistics, if sexual intercourse was carried out without the use of barrier contraceptives, then infection with this disease occurs in ninety cases out of a hundred. Worldwide, half of adult women and men are diagnosed with chlamydia. The incubation period is asymptomatic, so it is almost impossible to detect an infection at an early stage. Because of this, the disease becomes chronic, leading to infertility.
In addition, various developmental disorders of the fetus occur during pregnancy, miscarriages occur and autoimmune somatic diseases occur, such as arthritis. Therefore, chlamydia in men and women must be diagnosed as early as possible and treated in a timely manner.
How does chlamydia infection happen?
In men, the causative agent of this disease affects the urethra (urethra), rectum, eyes. Unlike gonorrhea, chlamydia rarely affects the throat.
If there was unprotected sexual contact with a person infected with these microorganisms, then the probability of infection reaches 50%. The probability of catching chlamydia in the household way is extremely small, since this pathogen cannot live outside the human body, and for this there must be a lot of it. Therefore, do not be afraid to go to a public toilet, bath, use common dishes and towels, this will not lead to infection with such an infection.
How does chlamydia affect the male body?
This sexually transmitted disease can deal a devastating blow to a man's reproductive function, causing infertility. The infection, having penetrated the urethra and caused its defeat, enters the prostate along the ascending line. Chronic chlamydial prostatitis contributes to the formation of cysts on the prostate gland and the depletion of its functions. After some time, its atrophy and sclerosis occur. In this case, there is a complete loss of prostate functions, and the gland itself begins to decrease.
Besides this, chlamydia is almost always accompanied by the following diseases:
- cystitis;
- epididymitis;
- pyelonephritis;
- orchitis.
Their development begins with an inflammatory process, which provokes a chlamydial infection that has got into the bladder, testicles and kidneys. Its presence destroys complex biochemical systems that practically do not recover after their defeat.
Symptoms of disease
According to statistics, many sexually transmitted infections are asymptomatic, including chlamydia. The incubation period for this disease is 14-28 days. It usually takes two weeks before the first signs of a nasty infection appear in the body.
How does chlamydia manifest itself? Symptoms in men (first signs) are as follows:
- scanty and transparent discharge begins to appear from the urethra;
- recurrent mild pain in the lower back, urethra, testicles and scrotum;
- when urinating happensslight soreness;
- due to intoxication of the body, weakness appears, efficiency decreases;
- sometimes body temperature may rise slightly;
- blood and pus may appear in the urine.
These are the main signs. Chlamydia in men can practically not manifest itself, and after a certain period of time its symptoms disappear altogether. Therefore, the man no longer wants to see a doctor. Meanwhile, the infection becomes chronic, which is fraught with serious complications.
What are the consequences of chlamydia infection?
Having considered the signs (chlamydia in men is a common problem), it is necessary to understand what complications this infection can lead to. It can affect many organs and systems of the body. Here is such an insidious disease - chlamydia. For men, the consequences can be very serious.
The most basic are impotence and infertility. Spreading, the infection affects the seminal vesicles in chlamydial vesiculitis, as well as the bulbourethral glands, which causes chlamydial cooperitis. As a result, complete irreversible infertility occurs in men.
Anal sex with a carrier of this virus leads to the fact that the infection begins to spread to nearby organs. There is proctitis, which contributes to the defeat of the rectum. If sexual oral contact is practiced, then chronic pharyngitis develops.
Cardiovasculardiseases, inflammation of the joints - these are complications that have arisen against the background of chlamydia. If the infection gets into the eyes, then chlamydial conjunctivitis develops, which is fraught with complete blindness. Also, the disease contributes to the occurrence of an inflammatory process in the inner ear and dysfunction of the vestibular apparatus.
How is chlamydia diagnosed in men? A pathology such as Reiter's disease, which includes the classic triad of conjunctivitis, urethritis, and arthritis, may indicate the presence of this infection. Each pathology individually brings a lot of trouble to a person, and their combination reduces the quality of life several times. This disease leads to damage to the upper layers of the epidermis, and can also affect the nervous system. Various encephalopathies and encephalitis occur, accompanied by seizures and nervous convulsions.
Diagnosis of chlamydia
This sexually transmitted disease is diagnosed by taking the following materials:
- scraping from the walls of the urethra;
- cum;
- scraping from the head of the penis;
- prostate secretion, urethral discharge.
Sperm is needed in order to check the condition of spermatozoa when making a diagnosis of infertility. The secret of the prostate gland is sent for analysis if the urologist also suspects prostatitis. To diagnose the disease, scraping from the walls of the urethra is enough, since chlamydia is mainly located in this place.
How to properly collect material?
Scraping from the walls of the urethrashould be carried out in such a way that there is enough material for analysis. This is a rather painful procedure, but necessary. To do this, use a special disposable tool.
Before the procedure, a man must:
- drink alcohol;
- eat smoked and fatty foods;
- visit a sauna or bath.
Such unusual rules are necessary in order for chlamydia to become sharply activated and move from a chronic state to an acute one, and this will greatly simplify the analysis.
Testing for chlamydia in men
Microscopy is considered the most common analysis. A swab taken from the urethra is applied to the glass, dried and stained. The biological material is examined under magnification to see the presence of chlamydia. However, this method is not very informative, since its accuracy is only 10-15%.
The method of IF, or immunofluorescence, carried out in the laboratory, allows you to detect the main protein of chlamydia. This method is considered more accurate, but it is not able to determine whether the microorganism is viable or not. Therefore, the result can be positive or negative.
For sowing, biological material is taken from the urethra, placed in a special nutrient medium, they wait longer until the microorganisms germinate.
The most effective is the PCR method, which we will consider in more detail.
PCR method
This analysis is considered the most accurate and informative. To establish a diagnosis forthe study takes a small amount of biological material (tissue samples, blood, etc.). Most often, blood is used for research, less often - scraping or smear.
The PCR method for chlamydia has a number of undeniable advantages:
- high level of specificity;
- diagnosis in a short time;
- high sensitivity, due to which infections are detected that are not only acute, but also latent.
Traditional tests do not detect the causative agent in all cases. The PCR method for chlamydia gives a detailed result, which allows you to start treatment at the initial stage of the development of the disease. Such an analysis is necessarily given on an empty stomach.
Chlamydia treatment for men
If there are certain signs (chlamydia in men, as we said, can be asymptomatic), then treatment should be started as early as possible, otherwise the disease can become chronic. Since this infection is an intracellular parasite, the doctor must prescribe drugs that can enter the cell. The treatment regimen for chlamydia includes the use of specific antibiotics:
- Macrolide group: Erythromycin, Azithromycin, Josamycin.
- Tetracycline group: "Doxycycline".
- Penicillin group: Ampicillin.
The latest WHO international standards in the treatment of urogenital chlamydia recommend a drug such as Azithromycin, which must be usedonce.
In addition to antibiotics, the treatment regimen for chlamydia may include the use of antifungal drugs ("Fluconazole") and immunomodulators ("Interferon"). If profuse discharge continues from the urethra, the doctor may prescribe topical antimicrobials.
During the treatment it is forbidden to drink alcohol, you must follow a diet, exclude spicy, fatty, sweet and s alty foods. You should also refrain from any sexual contact. Both sexual partners should be treated if necessary.
Conclusion
Thus, chlamydia is a very insidious infection that proceeds secretly and, when it becomes chronic, can cause various complications. If characteristic signs appear (chlamydia in men can cause serious consequences), you should immediately contact a venereologist to start timely treatment.
