Chlamydia is a bacterial infection, common especially among adolescents and young adults. It is caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis, hence the name of the disease. The big problem with chlamydia is that it produces quite vague and nuanced symptoms. The symptoms of the disease, therefore, are not always recognizable by people, or are confused for other types of ailments. For this reason, chlamydia is called a "silent" disease. Despite this, however, chlamydia should definitely not be taken lightly. In fact, as we will see better later, in women, chlamydia causes inflammation of the cervix, which can have serious consequences for the reproductive system, resulting in the so-called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). In men, however, chlamydia can cause an inflammatory state of the genital area, with the risk of the infection spreading to other organs.
There Chlamydia trachomatis it is an obligate intracellular bacterium; it means that it can live and reproduce only within host cells. The microorganism is transmitted with intimate relationships of various kinds between an infected person and a healthy person. In this sense, sexual intercourse of any kind, both vaginal, oral or anal, is to be considered at risk; in case of oral-genital intercourse, chlamydia can also infect the throat. In this sense, the risk is hidden whenever there is a direct or indirect exchange of sexual fluids, for example through the hands; even the exchange of sex toys, if performed within a very short period of time, can therefore lead to infection. Of course, the disease can also be transmitted when the partners do not reach orgasm. On the other hand, the risk of contagion through kissing or indirectly through the common use of toilets seems to be nil. It should be noted that chlamydia mainly affects people who have unprotected, occasional and frequent sexual intercourse with multiple partners, while the use of chlamydia of condoms drastically reduces the risk of contagion. I remember that chlamydia often does not cause significant symptoms, so even asymptomatic subjects, apparently in perfect health, can still transmit the disease. Furthermore, the infection can also be transmitted through the maternal-fetal way, that is, by direct contagion from the infected mother to the child during the passage of the newborn through the birth canal. Before proceeding, a brief clarification is required. There is no single type of Chlamydia trachomatis but there are different serotypes, related to different pathologies. These include venereal lymphogranuloma, pelvic inflammatory disease and trachoma.
Symptoms of chlamydia appear one to three weeks after the infection. This window of time is dangerous, because at this stage one can transmit the disease to others without being aware of it. In women, the bacterium infects the urethra and cervix, also known as the cervix, which inserts down into the vagina. This infection causes intimate burning and itching, yellowish-white vaginal discharge and an uncomfortable sensation. If neglected, chlamydia can cause lower abdominal and back pain, nausea, fever, and bleeding outside of menstruation in some women. In men, chlamydia can cause urethritis and burning and discharge from the urethra with a sensation of irritation and itching in the private parts. Rarely, inflammation, enlargement and pain in the testicles occur. If chlamydia is transmitted through anal intercourse, it can infect the rectum and cause pain, discharge and bleeding. Contagion during childbirth, from mother to newborn, on the other hand, can lead to pneumonia and serious eye and ear infections.
With regard to complications, in the introductory part we saw how - although the manifestations of chlamydia are often mild - the consequences for the reproductive system can be very serious. In women, if left untreated, the infection can spread to the uterus, ascending towards the fallopian tubes, reaching the ovaries. In this sense, the most serious and fearful consequence is the so-called pelvic inflammatory disease; this pathology is in fact accompanied by chronic pelvic pain and increases the risk of abortions and extrauterine pregnancies, to the point of causing sterility due to tubal occlusion. However, when the complications of chlamydia affect humans, infections of the epididymis can arise, which is a tube with numerous convolutions located in the scrotum; Inside the epididymis the spermatozoa mature and are stored before ejaculation. In addition, damage to the testicles and prostate infections can occur due to neglected chlamydia.
If you suspect a chlamydial infection it is good to seek medical attention as soon as possible, even when symptoms are not present. Infection is traditionally diagnosed through culture tests, ie by having the bacteria present in a sample of infected secretions replicate in the laboratory. More modern techniques include immunofluorescence reactions and enzyme immunoassays. All of these tests can be performed on urine samples or cervical swabs. urethral, vaginal, rectal, conjunctival and oral. Moreover, to speed up the diagnosis and the consequent treatment, some tests are now available that allow to obtain results in a very short time. An example is the search for specific DNA for chlamydia, using techniques of amplification of nucleic acids Finally, a blood sample allows to verify a previous infection, looking for the presence of anti-chlamydial immunoglobulins.
Given the bacterial nature of the infection, chlamydia is treated with antibiotics. Therapy should be established based on the results of the antibiogram carried out during the microbiological analyzes; this test evaluates the susceptibility of the bacterium to various types of antibiotics, in order to identify the most effective drug. The generally recommended therapeutic regimens include the use of antibiotics such as tetracycline, doxycycline and erythromycin, possibly replaced by more recent drugs such as azithromycin and ofloxacin. In any case, the therapy must be followed in a correct and scrupulous way, following medical instructions. This allows to avoid relapses and limits the appearance of dangerous resistance to antibiotics, that is the phenomenon for which bacterial strains immune to the disease are gradually selected. "action of antibiotics. Another fundamental aspect is that in addition to the person concerned, all sexual partners had up to 60 days before the onset of symptoms must also be treated. This precaution is used to avoid the so-called ping-pong effect; in essence, the mutually “passing” of the disease is avoided and the possibility of spreading it to other subjects is also limited. During the treatment it is important to refrain from sexual intercourse, or to use a condom. This precaution could also be required for a certain period after the end of the antibiotic treatment; in fact, the doctor can prescribe a second test after a few weeks to ascertain the eradication of the infection by Chlamydia trachomatis.
Given the difficulty in recognizing the symptoms, an important recommendation for all sexually active women is to have an annual check-up by the gynecologist. In addition, we recall the "importance of using a condom, which reduces the risk of contracting chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases.
