Silent but Deadly Symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Are You at Risk?

Once they were known as venereal diseases, and they were something that "nice"people didn't worry about. Today, STDs pose a real threat to life - for everyone. Even some babies are killed by STD complications! Could a silent but deadly sexually transmitted disease be lurking inside of you at this very moment? How can you tell if you've contracted an STD - especially a silent one? Here's the most common symptoms of STD's and what you should do about them.

Unlike yesteryear, people are beginning to realize that STDs are dangerous illnesses that affect men and women of all ages, races and lifestyles. In fact, this year almost 14,000,000 Americans will be diagnosed as having an STD other than AIDS. Many of these diseases lead to infertility, birth effects and an increased risk of cancer. Sadly, some of the most deadly STD symptoms go undetected.

If you are sexually active, especially without protection, you owe it to yourself to undergo a thorough examination on a regular basis.

The first step in preventing further spread of the STD epidemic is up to date information. Here then is a look at the major STDs, symptoms and treatments, as well as what you can do to protect yourself against them.

Silent but Deadly Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Chlamydia

Chlamydia is the most common bacterial STD in the United States. It is caused by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium. The Centers for Disease Control at Atlanta estimates that there are more than 4.6 million new cases each year.

Who's at risk: anyone who is sexually active, with multiple partners, regardless of their age, is at risk of getting Chlamydia. Chlamydia is insidious, a silent epidemic, because 80% of the women infected don't have any symptoms.

Dangers: in women, chlamydia can lead to infections of the cervix and full open to us if these infections go untreated, public and inflammatory disease (PID) can develop. In fact, chlamydia is the major cause of PID, resulting in thousands of cases of infertility and an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy, which can be fatal. Chlamydia can also be transmitted to newborns during birth. Some 155,000 babies are born to women with chlamydia infections each year and are at risk of eye, ear and sometimes fatal lung infections. This infection is also associated with premature labor and low birth weight.

Chlamydia STD Symptoms: early symptoms often overlooked include vaginal discharge and a burning sensation while urinating. Later signs of chlamydia include abdominal or lower back pain, pain during intercourse which is occasionally followed by vaginal bleeding, low-grade fever and bleeding between menstrual periods.

In other words, women who are recently infected by the Chlamydia Sexually Transmitted Disease might assume that the uncomfortable itching they experience is nothing more than a bad yeast infection or a bladder infection. Some of these same women may turn to traditional treatments, such as OTC yeast infection cream or amoxycillin. Sometimes these basic treatments work, in others, they do not. Sadly, these women will continue to spread Chlamydia to their partner or partners while being treated - often remaining contagious for long periods of time.

Treatment: antibiotics

Silent but Deadly Sexually Transmitted Diseases: PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease)

The Sexually Transmitted Disease known as PID is caused by a bacterial infection, which can involve inflammation of the fallopian tubes, ovaries or other structures in the pelvic cavity. According to CDC estimates, there were 900,000 cases of PID in 2008, one third of them requiring hospitalization.

Who's at risk: women who are sexually active at an early age, having multiple sex partners, engage in unprotected sexual activity or use and intrauterine device are at risk for PID.

Dangerous: it is estimated that as many as 200,000 women a year become sterile as a result of pelvic inflammatory disease. With a really bad infection, it can take as little as a few weeks, and then you are sterile.

Pelvic inflammatory disease can cause the formation of scar tissue inside the fallopian tubes, blocking eggs from entering the uterus. Such scarring also increases the risk of tubal pregnancies.

Sexually Transmitted Disease Symptoms of PID (Pelivc Inflammatory Disease): PID symptoms include abdominal pain or tenderness, sudden increase in the severity of menstrual cramps, lower back pain, painful intercourse, bleeding between periods, a burning sensation during urination or vaginal discharge, chills and fever. However, women should be cautioned that the vaginitis and bladder infections, as well as a series of irregular periods, can also signal pelvic infection. Even a simple case of vaginitis should not be allowed to go by without reassurance that there is nothing else there. A culture of the vaginal discharge should be examined. If you leave the infection alone, the symptoms may subside, but a year or two later that untreated infection can cause infertility.

Treatment: antibiotics. Conventional or laser surgery may be used to try To open blocked fallopian tubes.

Silent but Deadly Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Gonorrhea

The second most common bacterial STD in the United States, gonorrhea can also lead to pelvic inflammatory disease. Approximately 1.6 million cases of gonorrhea are reported each year, and between 25 and 50% of women with gonorrhea also have chlamydia. In addition, researchers at the CDC report a tremendous increase in cases of penicillin resistant gonorrhea, especially in New York City, Miami, Detroit and Los Angeles.

Who's at risk: according to experts, most gonorrhea sufferers are 30 years old or younger.

Dangers: when passed along to newborns, gonorrhea is associated with low birth weight, prematurity and eye infections. Gonorrhea is a major cause of PID, which can lead to infertility and ectopic pregnancy.

Symptoms: women may notice a vaginal discharge and burning while urinating. But gonorrhea, like chlamydia, can also produce no symptoms at all.

Treatment: antibiotics. Cephalosporin type drugs are used to treat penicillin resistant gonorrhea.

Silent but Deadly Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Syphilis

Who's at risk: most syphilis victims are between 15 and 30 years old.

Dangers: when untreated, the disease can cause damage to the heart and central nervous system, insanity, paralysis, blindness and even death. If transmitted to a fetus, it can cause stillbirths or birth defects. All women should be screened for syphilis during early pregnancy. If syphilis is detected during the first trimester, the unborn infant can be cured. As the pregnancy advances, the chances of a cure diminish.

Symptoms: the first symptom is a painless sore on the genitals that disappear with or without treatment. Subsequent symptoms can include sore throat, fever, and itchy rash and hair loss, but many people -- especially women -- never experience any symptoms.

Treatment: antibiotics. However, some complications of the disease may not be reversible.

Silent but Deadly Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Genital Herpes

This is the most common viral sexually transmitted disease in the country, infecting about 40 million people. As with other viruses, there is no known cure. Genital herpes is a reoccurring problem, since the herpes simplex virus 2 (a relative of the virus that causes cold sores on the mouth) lies dormant in human nerve cells, periodically emerging in the form of lesions on the genitals.

Who's at risk: sexually active adolescents and young adults are at increased risk for herpes.

Dangers: women with an active herpes infection during pregnancy have an increased chance of miscarrying or delivering prematurely. Genital herpes can be passed along at birth if the baby comes into contact with active lesions. Researchers say one third of infected babies develop mental retardation or permanent damage to their central nervous system and another third died of severe infections to intern all organs.

Symptoms: experts estimate that three of every four victims have no symptoms at all, so that, many women carry a silent form of herpes. In one study, conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh graduate school of public health, it was found that among 4500 women tested for herpes antibodies, 29% tested positive with the strain that causes genital herpes. Among those women, 87% said they had no idea they had the disease. It is now believed that there may be thousands of men and women out there who have had herpes for years and don't even know it. When symptoms do appear, they are usually more severe in women than in men and can include enlarged lymph nodes in the groin, painful your nation, pain in the size, fever and aches.

Treatment: Acyclovir, a prescription drug, is used to lessen the symptoms of genital herpes. In addition, various medicine manufacturers are offering a number of alternative genital herpes treatments to sufferers. Remember, there is no cure for genital herpes, only medications that help to keep the new lesions at bay.

Silent but Deadly Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Genital Warts

Genital warts, like so many other STDs, is also on the rise in the United States. Each year, approximately 1,000,000 people are infected with the strain of the human papilloma virus that causes genital warts.

Who's at risk: those who have unprotected sex frequently, especially with multiple partners, are most at risk. 70 to 90% of people who have sex with an infected person and without the use of any protection will develop genital warts, according to the CDC.

Dangers: human papilloma virus and related genital warts may be linked to cervical cancer. Several types of human papilloma virus have been found in the cervical cells of 90 to 95% of women who have cervical cancer. When the disease is passed along to newborns, warts can develop on the vocal cords, causing serious breathing difficulties.

Symptoms: the warts often produce few or no symptoms. In women the lesions may be internal. The tiny, raised and painless lesions can also appear on an external genital organs, as well as the rectum or even the inner thigh.

Treatment: genital warts can be removed surgically or with lasers, chemicals or liquid nitrogen. The virus cannot be cured.

Silent but Deadly Sexually Transmitted Diseases: AIDS

The CDC estimates there were 39,000 new cases of AIDS in the United States last year and nearly 10,000 reported AIDS deaths. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, a.k.a. HIV. There is no known cure for this fatal disease.

Who's at risk: the disease is spread by unprotected sexual activity with an infected person, as well as the shared use of contaminated needles among intravenous drug users. Experts report a worrisome link between AIDS and other STDs. Studies show that genital sores, syphilis or her please put the ball at increased risk of HIV infection. According to Willard Cates, Junior., M. D., Of the CDC, sores from these STDs give the AIDS virus another portal of entry into the body.

Symptoms: early symptoms include persistent weight loss, low grade fever, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue.

Treatment: investigators report some success in the use of the drug AZT (azidothymidine) to prolong the lives of AIDS victims. But a vaccine to prevent AIDS has yet to be developed.

Sources:

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) http://www.cdc.gov/std/
http://www.epigee.org/guide/stds.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sexuallytransmitteddiseases.html
http://www.avert.org/std.htm
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sexually_transmitted_diseases/article_em.htm
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/stds-hiv-safer-sex-101.htm
http://www.edcp.org/html/stds.html