Sexually Transmitted Diseases/HIV
A sexually transmitted disease (STD) is defined as a disease-causing virus, bacterium, parasite or fungus spread from person to person primarily through sexual contact. These agents thrive in
most warm conditions in the body, such as the
mouth and vagina. Some STDs can be transmitted in ways other than just sexual contact, for example contact with infected blood. Sharing infected needles or receiving a transfusion of infected blood can pass on the STD. Bacterial, fungal and parasitic STDs are
curable with proper medication. Viral STDs have no cure at this time, but can be managed with
proper medication.
Women, it is important to recognize, are more vulnerable to STDs from a biological and socioeconomic perspective. While the majority of STDs show little or no symptoms, the consequences of late diagnosis can be severe for women - cervical cancer, ectopic pregnancy and infertility, to name a few.
Sexually active young adults and teenagers are the largest cohort diagnosed with STDs. An estimated 200 to 400 million people worldwide are affected - 70 million in the U.S.
Click on the links below for more information on sexually transmitted
diseases:
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
National Institutes of Health
31 Center Drive, MSC 2520
Bethesda, MD 20892-2520
http://www.niaid.nih.gov
- National Library of Medicine
MEDLINEplus
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
1-800-338-7657
http://medlineplus.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
1-888-232-3228
http://www.cdc.gov
- National STD and AIDS Hotline
1-800-227-8922 or 1-800-342-2437
(24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
- American Social Health Association
P.O. Box 13827
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-9940
http://www.ashastd.org
Common STDs
| CHLAMYDIA |
|
| Number Infected: |
89 million worldwide; 3 million new cases each year |
| Cause: |
Chlamydia trachomitis bacterium |
| Symptoms: |
Unnoticeable
in 75% of women, 50% of men; painful burning urination; vaginal or penile discharge;
Bleeding between menstrual periods |
| Treatment: |
Curable with antibiotics; if left untreated, females will have damage to reproductive tissue; fatal pregnancy complications |
| Diagnosis: |
Diagnostic pelvic exam; diagnostic urine test |
|
|
|
GONORRHEA |
|
|
Number Infected: |
62 million worldwide; 650,000 in the U.S. annually |
|
Cause: |
Neisseria gonorrheal bacterium; infects membranes lining certain genital organs |
|
Symptoms: |
Often
symptomless; similar to Chlamydia |
|
Treatment: |
Curable with
antibiotics; if left untreated, pelvic inflammatory disease
(PID) in females; babies have a high risk of infection, can cause eye disease in newborns |
|
Diagnosis: |
Diagnostic pelvic exam; diagnostic urine test |
|
|
|
SYPHILIS |
|
|
Number Infected: |
36,000 per year in the
U.S. |
|
Cause: |
Treponema pallidum bacterium |
|
Symptoms: |
Early stage - genital sore (chancre) develops shortly after infection and eventually disappears |
|
Treatment: |
Curable with penicillin; if untreated, disease will progress affecting vertebrae, brain and heart leading to lack of coordination, meningitis and stroke |
|
|
|
GENITAL HERPES |
|
|
Number Infected: |
One in 5 over the age of 12 in the U.S. |
|
Cause: |
Herpes Simplex Virus
(HSV) |
|
Symptoms: |
Recurrent outbreaks of painful genital sores, although disease can be dormant for long periods of time |
|
Treatment: |
Symptoms can be treated, but disease has no cure |
|
Diagnosis: |
Diagnostic blood test |
|
|
|
AIDS |
|
|
Number Infected: |
800,000 - 900,000 in
U.S.; 40,000 per year |
| Cause: |
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV) |
|
Symptoms: |
1 - 3 weeks after infection, flu-like symptoms lasting 1 - 4 weeks; then a prolonged asymptomatic phase that can last 10 years or more; next stage of disease, extensive weight loss, fatigue, periodic fever, recurring diarrhea, thrush, recurring vaginal yeast infection; next phase (full blown AIDS) opportunistic infections, rare cancers,
cumulative effects cause death |
|
Treatment: |
Protease inhibitors prolong survival; AIDS is not
curable |
|
Diagnosis: |
Diagnostic blood test |
|
|
|
HEPATITIS B |
|
|
Number Infected: |
120,000 new infections per year; 100 times more contagious than HIV |
|
Symptoms: |
Attacks liver cells, leading to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. No symptoms in about 70% of infected people, mild flu-like symptoms in 30 % of infected people; approximately 1% will develop serious symptoms such as severe vomiting, jaundice and bloated, swollen stomach |
|
Treatment: |
Incurable, but chemotherapy can eliminate the virus in some patients |
| Diagnosis: |
Diagnostic
blood test; vaccine is available |
References
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