Chlamydia
Chlamydia trachomatis is a major infectious cause of human eye and genital disease. C. trachomatis is naturally found living only inside human cells and is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in people worldwide — about four million cases of chlamydia infection occur in the United States each year. Not all infected people exhibit symptoms of infection. About half of all men and three-quarters of all women who have chlamydia have no symptoms and do not know that they are infected. It can be serious but is easily cured with antibiotics if detected in time. Equally important, chlamydia infection of the eye is the most common cause of preventable blindness in the world. Blindness occurs as a complication of trachoma.
Almost half of all women who get chlamydia and are not treated by a doctor will get pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a generic term for infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries. PID can cause scarring inside the reproductive organs, which can later cause serious complications, including chronic pelvic pain, difficulty becoming pregnant, tubal pregnancy, and other dangerous complications of pregnancy. Chlamydia causes 250,000 to 500,000 cases of PID every year in the U.S. Women infected with chlamydia are up to five times more likely to become infected with HIV, if exposed.
Chlamydia is known as the "Silent Epidemic" because in women, it may not cause any symptom and will linger for months or years before being discovered. Symptoms that may occur include: unusual vaginal bleeding or discharge, pain in the abdomen, painful sexual intercourse, fever, painful urination or the urge to urinate more frequently than usual.
In men, chlamydia may not cause any symptoms, but symptoms that may occur include: a painful or burning sensation when urinating, an unusual discharge from the penis, swollen or tender testicles, or fever. Chlamydia in men can spread to the testicles, causing epididymitis, which can cause sterility if not treated within 6 to 8 weeks. Chlamydia causes more than 250,000 cases of epididymitis in the USA each year.
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Chlamydia
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