Chlamydia Sexually transmitted diseases infect millions of people each year. Some of the most well-known sexually transmitted diseases are herpes, syphilis, HIV, AIDS, genital warts and gonorrhea. Some of these diseases are fatal, others can be cured with antibiotics. All of these diseases are dangerous, but the most common sexually transmitted disease is a lesser known disease. This disease is called chlamydia. Chlamydia is a disease that infects young adults nationwide. This disease is of great concern among high school and college students. This disease is the leading cause of infertility. Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. It primarily infects cells in the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body, as well as the cervix. Chlamydia also infects cells in the rectum and eyes. Chlamydia is the leading sexually transmitted disease in the United States, with rates highest in the West and Midwest. Missouri has a rate of chlamydia well above the national average. Health economists estimate that Chlamydia infections and other problems they cause cost Americans more than two billion dollars a year. More than four million people are infected with chlamydia every year. New cases of chlamydia are about four times more common than new cases of genital herpes and genital warts combined. Chlamydia is often called the "silent epidemic" because it is so common, yet so rare. Chlamydia is not as well known as other sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea or syphilis. Chlamydia infection is most common among young adults and adolescents, especially sexually active women under the age of twenty. One of the reasons chlamydia is so common is that more than 70% of infected women don't know it because they don't show any signs or symptoms. About 50% of men have no signs or symptoms. Chlamydia is transmitted in different ways. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayChlamydia is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse. It is transferred during oral, vaginal or anal sexual contact with an infected partner. Chlamydia can also be contracted in the pharynx through oral-genital contact. Chlamydia can also be passed from an infected mother to her child during childbirth. Children often present with eye inflammation at birth or, in rarer cases, pneumonia. There are several risk factors for chlamydia. Having unsafe sex is a huge risk factor for chlamydia. Having sex with more than one partner also increases your risk of getting chlamydia. Having sex with someone who has multiple sexual partners is also a risk factor for chlamydia infection. If symptoms do appear, they usually appear between a week and a month after infection. Many symptoms occur in men. Some include inflammation of the urethra, a tingling sensation during urination, a light, sticky, milky, mucus-like discharge from the penis, and possible itching around the opening. Others include pain or tenderness in the testicles. These symptoms may seem to come and go. About half of men infected with chlamydia will never develop these symptoms.symptoms. Symptoms in women include light, milky, or mucus-like discharge, painful urination, painful intercourse, bleeding between periods, and abdominal pain. Others include tingling during urination and pain caused by pelvic inflammation. Symptoms can also appear in the rectum and cause discharge and pain as well as diarrhea. Chlamydia can also cause eye infections, such as conjunctivitis. Women are less likely to have symptoms, as more than 70% of infected women have no symptoms. Infants infected at birth have several symptoms. These symptoms include breathing problems, eye inflammation, premature birth and even pneumonia. Chlamydia is easily treated if detected soon after being contracted. The most common way to test for chlamydia is for a doctor to take a sample of cells from the infected area, usually the cervix or penis, using a cotton swab. This sample is then sent to a laboratory for evaluation and results. The most reliable ways to know if the infection is Chlamydia are laboratory tests. Usually, a doctor or nurse will send a sample of pus from the vagina or penis to a laboratory to test for the bacteria. A referral to a specialist genitourinary clinic can also be made so that further testing can be carried out so that a firm diagnosis can be made. Chlamydia can also be tested for by collecting a urine sample. This method is less invasive and less painful. Urinalysis does not require a pelvic exam or penile swab. Urine test results are available within twenty-four hours. Chlamydia is often misdiagnosed as gonorrhea because the symptoms of the two diseases are very similar. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are often contracted at the same time. All sexually active women under the age of twenty and those with inflammation of the cervix should be tested. Women under the age of twenty-four, who do not regularly use barrier contraceptives, or who have a new sexual partner(s) should be tested. Doctors recommend that since you can be infected and have no symptoms, it is important to get tested if you have had more than one sexual partner, especially if you are under the age of twenty-five. It is possible to transmit the disease to someone without even knowing you have it. Therefore, until a diagnosis is made and treatment is administered, it is best to avoid sexual contact. Chlamydia is easily treated with antibiotics such as erythromycin or tetracycline tablets. Common side effects of these treatments include diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. If chlamydia is left untreated, it can cause many long-term side effects. Long-term side effects of untreated chlamydia vary in men and women. Long-term side effects that occur in men include epididymitis, which is inflammation of the testicles that can cause infertility. Prostatitis is another side effect caused by untreated chlamydia. Prostatitis is an infection of the prostate. Reiter's syndrome is an autoimmune disease similar to arthritis that is also caused by untreated chlamydia. Infertility is another side effect that affects both men and women. In women, the most serious side effect is illness.