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How do I know if I have chlamydia?

An Overview

Chlamydia is an infectious disease spread through sexual contact and is caused by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria. It is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the entire world. It also causes trachoma, which is the most common cause of blindness throughout the World.

The most frequently affected physical location in females is the cervix. Cervicitis, urethritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, perihepatitis, or proctitis are some of the possible symptoms. Women with chlamydial infections are more likely to experience reproductive problems and ectopic pregnancies, which can be hard to fix if left untreated. Additionally, there are dangers if a pregnant lady has an infection. Additionally, conjunctivitis and/or pneumonia can occur in children born vaginally to moms who have genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection in men can cause reactive arthritis, prostatitis, proctitis, urethritis, and epididymitis. Pharyngitis, lymphogranuloma venereum, and conjunctivitis are some possible trachomatis negative effects in men.

The uncommon disease known as lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), which is caused by particular serovars of Chlamydia trachomatis, is characterised by enlarged lymph nodes or severe proctocolitis.

Pathophysiology of Chlamydia infection

With different growth forms and an infectious cycle, Chlamydia differentiates apart from other bacteria. These contain the reticulate body (RB) and the infectious forms known as the elementary body (EB). The EB is ingested by host cells while having no metabolic activity. The EB will transform into the metabolically active RB inside the host cell.

The RB will then multiply and create new EB using host power sources and amino acids, which can then attack more cells. C. trachomatis attacks the eye, urinary tract, and perineum in both men and women, as well as the squamocolumnar epithelial cells of the endocervix and upper genital tract in females. Direct exposure to contaminated tissue, such as during vaginal, anal sex, or oral sex, or even from an affected parent to her new-born after childbirth, can spread the bacteria.

Clinical signs and symptoms of Chlamydia infection

Patients are more often found to be asymptomatic. Clinical symptoms vary depending on where the infection is located in the minority of people who have symptoms. The typical warning signs and symptoms of C. trachomatis urogenital infections are listed below.

There will be an increase in the number of women who experience only minor symptoms such as dysuria, unusual vaginal discharge, bleeding, and abdominal pain. A small percentage of women present with the typical symptoms of mucopurulent cervicitis, discharge, and readily caused an endocervical haemorrhage. Intermenstrual bleeding or postcoital bleeding are two common complaints among women.

When C. trachomatis reaches the upper reproductive tract, this disease happens. Most frequently, these individuals will experience pelvic or abdominal pain, either with or without cervicitis symptoms and signs. Other signs and symptoms could include post-coital bleeding, sickness, vomiting, cough, chills, low back discomfort, pain during sex, or dysuria.

Men are most frequently affected by it. Gonococcal urethritis and chlamydial urethritis have minor clinical distinctions, but it is impossible to reliably distinguish between the two without testing. Dysuria and urethral discharge, which is normally white, grey, or occasionally clear, are its primary symptoms.

They may only be present in the morning or after penile stripping. Women who have urethritis may experience frequent urination or dysuria and misdiagnose their symptoms as UTI. Pyuria can be detected by urine analysis, but neither bacterial culture nor gram stain can detect any organisms.

This disease, also known as Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome, develops when chlamydia infection causes adjacent abdominal membranes and the liver capsule to inflame.

This syndrome, which is connected to the right upper quadrant or pleuritic discomfort, is most frequently seen in people who have pelvic inflammatory disease. Abnormalities in liver enzymes are not commonly discovered, in contrast to other illnesses that may impact the liver or produce right upper quadrant pain.

If chlamydia rectal infection is brought on by genital serovars D through K, there may be no symptoms. However, patients may experience rectal pain, discharge, and bleeding during susceptible anal intercourse if LGV serovars L1–L3 are the source of proctitis.

Patients may also show signs of malaise or fever. Although anal intercourse is not unusual during heterosexual intercourse, it is virtually exclusively observed in males who have sex with other males.

One per cent of males with urethritis brought on by chlamydial infection also experience reactive arthritis, and one-third experience the reactive arthritis triad (formerly known as Reiter syndrome).

Pneumonia can occur in new-borns whose mothers have a cervical Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Even though nearly all infants exhibit symptoms before eight weeks, recognition typically happens between 4 and 12 weeks of age. Some new-borns may have thick nasal secretions, and nasal congestion and cough are also rather frequent.

Infants typically only have a slight fever or none at all, along with tachypnoea and the typical paroxysmal staccato cough. Preterm infants may experience apnoeic episodes. On lung auscultation, rales can be heard, although wheezing is rare.

A painful sore throat is the most typical symptom of an infection of the cellular lining of the mouth and throat. When someone experiences this symptom, they frequently ignore it or equate it to a normal cold or another viral infection and fail to link it to the unprotected oral intercourse they engaged in.

You can experience coughing, a mild fever, and enlarged lymph nodes in addition to a scratchy throat. When you have engaged in unprotected intercourse, it's crucial to undergo routine STI testing, especially if you are dating a new partner.

Additionally, the infection can spread from your fingers to other body areas including your eyes, nose, or mouth. There are a few other factors, besides the sexual actions that can transfer chlamydia, that will raise your risk of developing this mouth infection. Chlamydia symptoms in the mouth might emerge quickly.

STDs are not one of those conditions that will heal on their own. If you have sex again without getting treated, you risk developing major difficulties in addition to spreading chlamydia. The chlamydia throat symptoms could become significantly worse.

How do you know that you have a Chlamydia infection?

Only trachoma among C. trachomatis infections may be identified clinically. Other chlamydial infections are linked to particular clinical symptoms but need to be confirmed in the lab. Nucleic acid amplification testing is the gold standard for the detection of urogenital chlamydia infections. For women, this test is performed on vaginal swabs, and for men, it is performed on a first-catch urine sample. You can do this test at Welzo chlamydia test.

Furthermore, endocervical or urethral swabs may be tested. Swab samples should have a wire or plastic shaft and a cytobrush, rayon, or dacron tip. Chlamydia trachomatis may be inhibited by other substances. Culture, fast testing, serology, antigen detection, and genetic probes are further testing techniques. Treatment is advised based on clinical presentation if testing is not an option.

When a patient is suspected of having chlamydia, a workup for additional common sexually transmitted infections should be done. If PID is assumed to exist, a thorough blood count is required. Consider being tested for syphilis, gonorrhoea, and HIV. Chlamydia testing needs to be done on the sexual partner. Pregnancy should be ruled out before starting doxycycline therapy, hence a pregnancy test should be taken.

Patients with ophthalmic trachoma and conjunctivitis generally undergo cytology. Chlamydia cultures are typically avoided since the bacterium is challenging to grow in a lab. However, cultures are the best option for people who have anal and rectal involvement because other tests can be challenging to interpret.

Complications of Chlamydia infection

In women of childbearing age, pelvic inflammatory illness increases the risk of an ectopic pregnancy. Additionally, upper genital tract inflammation and scarring might impact fertility or cause persistent pelvic pain. Preterm birth and premature prelabour rupture of membranes are all risks that can be increased by chlamydial infection during pregnancy.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection that is asymptomatic is fairly common, but an infection that is misdiagnosed or untreated can have serious side effects. These justifications make screening advised. It is advised that all expectant women undergo C. trachomatis testing. Every year, sexually active girls under the age of 25 should be screened.

If a woman is older than 25 and has risk factors for STDs, she should be checked. Sexual partners who have numerous partners simultaneously, new or multiple partners, irregular condom use if the relationship is not monogamous, trading sex for cash or drugs, and prior or coexisting STIs are risk factors. Chlamydial infection should also be checked in guys who have sex with other men. HIV-positive people should be screened at the first presentation and once a year. It is advised to screen for chlamydia in men and women who are entering a correctional facility if they are 30 years old or younger and 35 years old or younger.

Treatment of Chlamydia infection

The purpose of treatment is to alleviate symptoms, reduce the chance of transmission, and prevent infection-related consequences (such as PID and infertility). Azithromycin is used to treat urogenital chlamydia that is not complex. Azithromycin is preferable because it is a single-dose therapy, however, doxycycline is an alternative. Levofloxacin, ofloxacin and erythromycin are further substitutes.

Gonococcal infections and chlamydial infections sometimes coexist. If the organism is found on NAAT or gram stain, co-treatment for urogenital gonococcal infection in men should be administered. The potential of common Neisseria species colonization inside the vaginal flora makes the gram stain less useful in females. Co-treatment must therefore be based on an evaluation of the risk of each particular patient and regional prevalence rates.

Partners should be found and tested for patients. Additionally, they ought to receive advice on high-risk behaviours, abstain from sexual activity for a week after starting therapy, and think about getting tested for HIV.

Three weeks after the end of treatment, the diagnosis should be confirmed, and three months later, retesting should be done.

Evaluate reinfection or co-infection with a secondary bacterium if symptoms continue after treatment.

Conclusion

If you think you have a chlamydia infection you should always get it checked out. You can get it tested easily with a kit. If you need more information, why not head here to learn more.