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Saturday, December 11, 2010

Term Paper on Chlamydia

Term Paper on Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that if untreated can cause serious damage to a person body. Chlamydia usually doesn't have any noticeable symptoms and can go undetected. Many people don't usually know whether or not they have the disease. Chlamydia can be passed from a mother to her fetus. Chlamydia is contracted through vaginal, anal, oral sex. No one is immune to sexually transmitted disease.

People can reduce their chances of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease by using protection every time they have sex, up to 85% of women & 40% of men have no symptoms untreated Chlamydia leads to PID or male infertility.

Chlamydia is cause by the organism trachomatis, which causes inclusion conjunctivitis and trachoma. Trachoma causes the cornea to become cloudy & may lead to blindness (gsbs.utmb.edu). "Chlamydia [it] is the leading cause of infertility" (Chlamydia: What You Should Know). "Chlamydia is spread vaginal and anal intercourse" (Planned Parent Hood). Chlamydia [it] is thought to be the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States" (Chlamydia). Chlamydia has about the same symptoms as gonorrhea. In many cases people don't have any symptoms at all. "About 70% of individuals infected with chlamydia do not know they have an infection" (Chlamydia). Chlamydia could lead to rectal infections or cause proctitis (Chlamydia).
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When the symptoms of Chlamydia occurs, they usually appear within one to three weeks of exposure (Chlamydia's Quick Cure). The symptoms in men "includes burning when urination, discharge from the end of the penis, tenderness or pain in the testicles, lower abdomen, fever and chills." The symptoms in women may include a "urinary burning, increased frequency, and mild urethral discharge" (Chlamydia).

Chlamydia in women can become very serious if it goes untreated. "Infection of the female reproductive tract can include the Bartholin ducts, vagina, cervix, endometrium, and fallopian tubes" (Chlamydia). Untreated Chlamydia may result in (PID) pelvic inflammatory disease. Pelvic inflammatory disease can cause infertility. It leads to scanning of the fallopian tubes, which leads to ectopic or tubal pregnancy (Chlamydia: What Should You Know). "Women with PID of the fallopian tubes are 7-10 times more likely than other women to have ectopic pregnancies (Planned Parent Hood). Women infect babies unintentionally. More than 180,000 babies are born with eye infection or pneumonia. Chlamydia is the leading cause of neonatal conjunctivitis, an eye infection that can cause blindness (Planned Parent Hood).

"Chlamydia may also result in adverse outcome of pregnancy, including neonatal conjunctivitis and pneumonia" (Facts about Chlamydia). Many women who have untreated Chlamydia develop PID. 40% of women get PID, 20% of those women will become infertile, 18% will experience debilitating chronic pelvic pain, and 9% will experience life threatening tubal pregnancy (Facts about Chlamydia). The cases of Chlamydia are increasing yearly. In 1997 526,653 cases were reported and in 1999 more than 650,000 cases were reported (Chlamydia in the United States). Many cases go unreported simply because people don't know theyТre infected. Approximately "3 million cases occur annually" (Chlamydia in the United States).

Chlamydia is known as the "Silent epidemic - (Chlamydia Quick Cure) because many people never know that they're infected with the disease. "Chlamydia is "a very insidious disease," says Hitchcock. "Because it rarely causes symptoms, people don't know they're infected. So they don't get treated, and they infect their partners, who also don't get treated." (Chlamydia's Quick Cure). "3 million American women & men become infected with Chlamydia every year. Chlamydia is 4 times as common as gonorrhea, more than 30 times as common as syphilis [and is] the most common among women and men under 25. For every person with herpes, there are 6 with Chlamydia" (Planned Parent Hood).

Young adolescent girls are big targets for Chlamydia "because of the characteristics of the cells that form the lining of the cervical canal." (Chlamydia). "As many as 1 in 10 adolescent girls tested for Chlamydia is infected." (Some facts about Chlamydia). "15-19 year-old girls represent 46% of infections and 20-21 year-old women represent another 33%." (Some facts about Chlamydia).

There are some factors that may increase a woman's chance of contracting Chlamydia; such as: "evidence that hormones in the birth control pill may change the cervix in the ways that make it more open to chlamydia infections. However, women who take the pill have a lower risk of developing PID from chlamydia than women who don't." (Planned Parenthood).

A person that suspects they might be infected with chlamydia or any other sexually transmitted disease should be screened. A person should be screened at least once a year regardless if they think something could be wrong. Chlamydia could also lead to things other than PID. "Recent research had shown that women infected with chlamydia have a 3-5 fold increased risk of acquiring HIV, if exposed." (DSTD facts).

Antibiotics usually treat and cure chlamydia. "Early treatment can prevent lasting damage to a person's reproductive system." (springnet.com). The most common treatments are a single dose of azithromycin or a week (twice daily) of doxycycline. (DSTD facts). Other prescriptions for chlamydia include: tetracycline twice a day for 10 days, erythromycin and sulfisoxazole four times a day for 10 days, and amoxicillin three times a day for one week. (drkoop.com). "Avoid sex or use condoms for at least one week while you and your partner (s) are taking medicine, even if it a single-dose medicine." (springnet.com). There are some medications that women should not take while pregnant because they could harm the baby. (springnet.com).

Chlamydia is an internal disease, therefore women are more likely than men to contract the sexually transmitted disease from unprotected sex. (springnet.com). No one is entirely safe from Chlamydia; "the only sure way" is to avoid contact between the penis, vagina, mouth, and anus." (springnet.com).

Chlamydia costs the United States more than $2 billion annually. The screening and treatment programs are estimated to cost an additional $175 million. Although, the screening and treatment save the United States money; approximately $12 for every $1 spent on the treatments. (DSTD facts).

In conclusion, Chlamydia can be treated with certain medication. Untreated Chlamydia can cause serious internal complications. Chlamydia is the most reported sexual trasmitted disease today.

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Warning!!! All free sample term papers and college term paper examples on Chlamydia topics are plagiarized and cannot be fully used in your high school, college or university education.

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