Sexually Transmitted Diseases
sexually transmitted diseases: Sexually transmitted diseases (STD), sometimes called venereal diseases, are usually passed through sexual activity. The best known STDs - syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, and chlamydia - affect the genitals and reproductive system but they can also affect other parts of the body, especially if they are untreated or improperly treated. Other diseases, including hepatitis B, can be transmitted sexually but often are transmitted in other ways. More than 20 diseases are known to be sexually transmitted. These include diseases caused by bacteria, protozoans, viruses, and funguses. Infestations of crab lice, small insects, can also be passed during sex. In the 1980s people learned of a new and devastating STD, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. This fatal disorder is caused by a virus known as the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV.
Sexually transmitted diseases often cause widespread havoc with many parts of the body. AIDS and untreated syphilis can produce dementia as well as many other symptoms. Some STDs are thought to lead to cancer. Others initiate male or female sterility. The child of an infected woman can also be harmed by some STDs.
Incidence In the early 1990s more than 13 million Americans a year were affected by STDs. Two-thirds of the people affected by STDs are younger than 25 and many have had more than one STD. An estimated 25% of all sexually active 15 to 24-years-olds get an STD each year.
Complications Many STDs have serious consequences beyond the initial infection. If untreated, syphilis can lead to heart and brain damage and, in some cases, serious mental illness . Genital warts and trichomoniasis are associated with cervical cancer. Chlamydia infection is the major cause of pelvic inflammatory disease and sterility in women; it can also cause sterility in men. Gonorrhea can cause PID and sterility. Hepatitis B harms the liver, often permanently, and may lead to cancer.
Many STDs are transmitted from mother to child as well as sexually. If a pregnant woman has an STD, she can transmit it to her baby either during pregnancy (syphilis and HIV, for example) or delivery (herpes and gonorrhea, for example, as well as HIV). Untreated syphilis in babies can cause blindness and brain and nerve damage; HIV infection in babies leads to death.
Prevention STDs are like the common cold in that you can have them many times without becoming immune. There are no vaccinations to protect against most STDs, even though there has been considerable research aimed at developing such protection. There is an effective vaccination for hepatitis B. Since the mid-1990s babies have received hepatitis B vaccination as part of their routine immunization. It is recommended that everyone over 11 or 12 get the hepatitis B vaccination. The only sure way to avoid STDs, other than hepatitis B, is to abstain from vaginal, anal, and oral sex. For most people abstinence is not a lifelong option, but individuals can delay the start of sexual relations until some measure of maturity is achieved. When teenagers delay sexual initiation they have more time to develop the person-to-person skills and confidence that helps them negotiate safer sex practices.
After abstinence the best safe-sex practice is using a condom correctly every time with every partner. A condom is a latex sheath used to cover a man's penis during the sex act, including anal and oral sex. Condom use is not foolproof, but it can dramatically decrease the transmission of STDs.
Reduce the number of sex partners. The more partners a person has, the greater the likelihood of having sex with someone with an STD and of becoming infected.
It also helps to know the signs and symptoms of STDs. If you or your partner have them, see a doctor for a checkup and treatment before having sex.
Main sexually transmitted diseases
Disease
Cause
Symptoms
Treatment
Chancroid
Bacterium
Red-rimmed sores; swollen lymph nodes
Antibiotics will cure
Chlamydia
Bacterium
No symptoms at first; painful urination; discharge
Antibiotics will cure
Genital warts
Virus
Painless dark bumps on genitals and around anus
Removal; no cure
Gonorrhea
Bacterium
Painful urination, discharge; abnormal menstruation;
Antibiotics will cure
Granuloma inguinale
Bacterium
Raised red bumps that grow and spread; eating away at skin
Antibiotics will cure
Herpes
Virus
Painful sores that spread
Symptomatic; no cure
HIV (AIDS)
Virus
No symptoms at first; early flulike symptoms; after 5 to 10 years compromised immune system and infections
Antivirals; treatment of infections; no cure
Lymphogranuloma venereum
Bacterium
Painless sore; swollen glands that drain onto skin surface
Antibiotics will cure
Syphilis
Bacterium
Stage 1 Painless sore (chancre); Stage 2: Rash, swollen glands; Stage 3: Brain and heart damage
Antibiotics will cure
Trichomoniasis
Protozoan
No symptoms (men); vaginal discharge, painful urination (women)
Medications will cure
Vaginal yeast
Fungus
Vaginal discharge; itching
Medications will cure infection
Vaginitis
Bacterium; protozoan
Vaginal discharge; itching
Medications will cure
