What are sexually transmitted diseases?
Sexually transmitted diseases, also called venereal diseases are those infectious diseases that are mostly transmitted through sexual contact. Some can also be transmitted through non-sexual contact, but they represent a minority of the total number of cases.
What are the types of sexually transmitted diseases?
There is a large number of diseases that are transmitted mainly or exclusively by sexual contact and some of them can become epidemic.
Some of them are:
• GONORREA
This is part of the epidemic venereal diseases,
It is an infection that mainly affects the mucous membranes of the urogenital duct and occasionally, the pharynx, the conjunctivae or the rectum. It is characterized by a greenish-yellow purulent exudate through the urethra. Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium called the gonococcus (Neisseria gonorrhoeae), which takes an incubation period.
SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSIS
Gonorrhea is more evident in males, in whom an important purulent urethral exudate is observed. The pus, which at first is scarce, becomes thick and abundant, and causes frequent urine accompanied by generally a burning sensation.
SYPHILIS
This is an infectious disease that is caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum, it can affect any organ or system. The spirochete is able to cross the placenta so that the pregnant mother can transmit the disease to the fetus, causing the so-called congenital syphilis, different, from the clinical point of view, of the condition by sexual transmission.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT.
The diagnosis of syphilis is established by its typical symptoms and is confirmed by several serological or cerebrospinal fluid tests. The most common is the VDRL test that uses an antigen developed by the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory. In the first two phases, one or two injections are sufficient, while in the neurosifilis 3 doses must be given. The control of syphilis goes through the detection and treatment of all contacts
Of the patient.
•
•GENITAL HERPES.
This is an infection caused by the Herpes simplex virus type 2, which is usually transmitted by sexual contact and determines the eruption of blisters and painful pimples on the skin and genital membranes in both men and women. When it comes to pregnant women, the fetus can become infected through the placenta.
TREATMENT.
Currently no treatment can cure genital herpes, but there are treatments with pills and ointments that prevent the multiplication of the virus, accelerate healing and reduce discomfort. Among them we have acyclovir and recently valaciclovir, whose efficacy and safety has been demonstrated in acute genital herpes and with relapses. Likewise, the reduction of transmission risk has been proven. These medications taken in capsules or pills are more effective than creams.
Hot baths can relieve the pain associated with genital injuries. Very gentle cleanings with soap and water are also recommended. Sometimes oral antibiotics are necessary.
INFLAMMATORY PELVIC DISEASE (EPI)
This disease is usually caused by a sexually transmitted infection that has not been treated properly, such as Chlamydia or gonorrhea. The infection only affects women. Often, the first symptoms are ignored and the PID is not diagnosed until it is advanced. It can produce tubal scars that can cause infertility or Ectopic (tubal) pregnancy.
TREATMENT.
The treatment usually consists in the supply of antibiotics.
Hospitalization is recommended for the treatment of PID in women with HIV, although mild or early infections can be treated on an outpatient basis. Women with HIV who are pregnant and who are suspected of having an ILD should be hospitalized and treated with antibiotics that have been approved for pregnancy, since many are not.
In very severe cases a Hysterectomy may be recommended, it consists in the removal of all the reproductive organs. When considering surgery of this type it is always advisable to consult a second opinion.
CLAMIDIA (CERVISITIS)
It is an inflammation of the cervix or cervix caused by an organism transmitted during sexual intercourse.
TREATMENT.
Antibiotics and prescription pills are given to fight bacteria.
• Non-Gonococcal Urethritis
It is an infection of the urethra in man, usually caused by chlamydia and although it is not caused by gonorrhea, it has similar symptoms.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT.
The diagnosis is made by microscopic examination and bacteriological culture of the exudate.
Most cases are treated successfully with Tetremycin or Erythromycin, also made possible by treating the patient's sexual contacts as they are possibly infected.
Venereal warts
Disease caused by a virus, usually develop in the genitalia one to three months after infection.
Small warts are cured by applying a medication. If they are not treated, they can spread or grow so much that it is necessary to resort to surgery. Sometimes they bleed and are painful. The sexual partner of a person infected with venereal warts has a 60% chance of getting it. Women who have venereal warts should undergo the control test every year, the virus seems to be associated with cervical cancer.
LADILLAS
The crabs are small insects (Pediculus pubis), similar to lice, which only infest the hair of the genital region, these are transmitted by sexual contact.
SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT.
They cause great itching and itching in the genital area and are usually treated with a specific lotion and require a lot of grooming in that area.
VAGINITIS
It is an inflammation of the vaginal tissues, caused by tiny organisms that can be transmitted during sexual intercourse.
TYPES OF VAGINITIS
The two most common types of vaginitis are:
The Trichomonas Vaginitis in which there is a vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odor, intense itching, burning and redness of the genitals and pain during intercourse. If left untreated it can attack the cervix.
Fungal Vaginitis is also called Candidiasis or Monilia. It is caused by the excessive growth of a fungus-like enzyme that is normally present in the body, in the vagina.
The symptoms are thick milky discharge and itching or burning sometimes very intense. It is usually treated with vaginal suppositories.
HEPATITIS B
Hepatitis, is acute inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by an infection, usually viral, by toxic substances or by drugs.
razor or shaving razors, toothbrushes, and non-sterile surgical or odontological material.
SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT.
It feels great fatigue and fatigue, appetite decreases, fever, nausea and vomiting, joint pain, hives, rashes and jaundice (the skin and eyeball are stained yellow).
Pills and injections are given to calm the symptoms, people who have Hepatitis B must rest.
Most people are cured, but they remain for a long time, carriers of the virus and transmitting it.
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
This is a virus that attacks the immune system of people, making the defenses of these are increasingly low, although it is not completely a sexually transmitted disease, one of the routes of transmission is sexual relations.
TREATMENT.
The treatment of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus includes the use of drugs that inhibit the replication of HIV, as well as treatments aimed at combating opportunistic infections and associated cancers.
What to do if you have a sexually transmitted disease?
If you think you have been exposed to a venereal disease, consult a doctor, or call a clinic or hospital to request information, there are special offices to treat these diseases. Wherever you go for treatment, your case should be confidential.
You may feel embarrassed about having a disease of this type, even if it is so, you should receive treatment and it is the only way to heal you.
Most of these diseases can be treated with antibiotics. Do exactly what your doctor says. Make sure you take all your medicine and for the indicated time.
You must communicate what is happening to all the people who have
How is the transmission of these diseases in general?
The transmission of all these diseases is carried out in most cases by intimate contact with an infected person, since the organisms that produce them die quickly if they are separated from the human body. Although the normal contact area is usually the genitals, oral and anal sex also produces cases of oral or anal infections. Some of these conditions, specifically the chancroid and that produced by the crabs, can spread from one part of the skin to another by the same infected person through their hands; Crabs, lice, genital herpes and vaginitis produced by Trichomonas and fungi can also be acquired by other means than sexual contact. Gonorrhea, syphilis and Chlamydia infections can pass from a pregnant woman to her child, either during pregnancy or during delivery. Such congenital infections can be quite serious. Although sexually transmitted infections start in the external genitalia, they can also spread to the prostate, the uterus, the testicles and certain nearby organs.
Conclusion
Sexually transmitted infections are a large number, infections produced by different agents. In some cases they can be transmitted non-sexual. Their frequency has increased, since they are strictly related to the sexual behaviors of the population. A group of them do not have definitive treatment, and others are associated with the appearance of different cancers. Its prevention involves changing behavior, which is only possible with education, work with young people in healthy living habits, detection and work with at-risk populations, and the creation of specialized centers for their care.