Sexually Transmitted Diseases

 


Periodically most Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are "latent" (symptoms are not apparent). Because of this, the reported cases of STDs are only the "tip of the iceberg". The actual number of cases can be up to 10 times the reported number. This also indicates that you may be exposed to STDs by someone who does not appear ill and/or does not know that he/she is a carrier of a disease.

 

 

The only way to avoid exposure to disease is to abstain from sex until marriage and then to be intimate (i.e.: sexual contact) only with your spouse who is not infected.

 

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Disease

Facts & Stats

Chlamydia

 Causes Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), Infertility, Problems During Pregnancy Including Fatal Tubal Pregnancy;

75% Of Women and 50% Of Men Have No Symptoms … Therefore They Do No Seek Medical Care;

Carriers Have a 3 to 5 Fold Increase Risk Of Acquiring HIV, If Exposed;

An Estimated 3 Million New Cases Appear Annually;

1 In 10 Girls Tested For Chlamydia Is Infected;

46% Of Those Infected Are Teenage Girls Aged 15 – 19;

33% Of Those Infected Are 20 – 24 Year Old Women;

Annual Cost Of Chlamydia And Its Consequences: $2,000,000,000

(2 Billion Dollars);

Genital Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

 Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the world.

Experts estimate that as many as 24 million Americans are infected with HPV, and the frequency of infection and disease appears to be increasing.

Low-risk types of HPV cause genital warts, the most recognizable sign of genital HPV infection. Other high-risk types of HPV cause cervical cancer and other genital cancers.

HPV usually causes a silent infection, that is one that does not have visible symptoms. Because the viral infection persists, individuals may not be aware of their infection or the potential risk of transmission to others and of developing complications.

Scientists estimate that as many as 1 million new cases of genital warts are diagnosed in the United States each year.

In women, the warts occur on the outside and inside of the vagina, on the cervix (the opening to the uterus), or around the anus. In men, genital warts are less common. If present, they are seen on the tip of the penis; however, they also may be found on the shaft of the penis, on the scrotum, or around the anus. Genital warts also can develop in the mouth or throat of a person who has had oral sexual contact with an infected person.

Gonorrhea

 A bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in mucous membranes of the body. Gonorrhea bacteria can grow in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (urine canal) in women and men. The bacteria can also grow in the mouth, throat, and anus.

Causes PID, Chronic Pain, Infertility, Ectopic Pregnancy, Arthritis

Each Year 650,000 New Cases Are Reported;

Approximately 75% of all reported gonorrhea is found in younger persons aged 15 to 29 years. The highest rates of infection are usually found in 15- to 19-year-old women and 20- to 24-year-old men. In 1998, approximately 1 of every 30 African American youths aged 15 to 24 had gonorrhea.

Gonorrhea can spread to the blood or joints. This condition can be life-threatening. Also, persons with gonorrhea can more easily contract HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Persons with HIV infection and gonorrhea are more likely than persons with HIV infection alone to transmit HIV to someone else.

Hepatitis B

 Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. The virus, which is called hepatitis B virus (HBV), can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death.

140,000-320,000 infections/yr in United States 70,000-160,000 symptomatic infections/yr;

Estimated 1-1.25 million chronically infected Americans ;

Estimated $700 million (1991 dollars)/yr (medical and work loss).

Hepatitis C

 Estimated 3.9 million (1.8%) Americans have been infected with HCV of whom 2.7 million are chronically infected;

36,000 new infections in the United States (1996 estimates) 25-30% of infections are symptomatic;

Symptoms: jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, intermittent nausea , vomiting


 

Hepatitis E

 Typical signs and symptoms of Hepatitis E are similar to those of other types of viral hepatitis and include abdominal pain anorexia, dark urine, fever, hepatomegaly, jaundice, malaise, nausea, and vomiting. Other less common symptoms include arthralgia, diarrhea, pruritus, and urticarial rash. Virus excretion in stools has been demonstrated up to 14 days after illness onset. 

In most hepatitis E outbreaks, the highest rates of clinically evident disease have been in young to middle-age adults;

Herpes
(HSV-2)

 Transmitted through direct contact, including kissing, sexual contact (vaginal, oral, or anal sex), or skin-to-skin contact. Genital herpes can be transmitted with or without the presence of sores or other symptoms. It often is transmitted by people who are unaware that they are infected, or by people who do not recognize that their infection can be transmitted even when they have no symptoms. Painful Blisters Around Sex Organs. Produces Fever, Enlarged Lymph Glands, Flu-Like Symptoms; Nationwide, 45 million people ages 12 and older, or one out of five of the total adolescent and adult population, is infected with HSV-2. Prevalence is increasing most dramatically among young white teens; HSV-2 prevalence among 12- to 19-year-old whites is now five times higher than it was 20 years ago. And young adults ages 20 to 29 are now twice as likely to have HSV-2. If symptoms occur during the primary episode, they can be quite pronounced. The primary episode usually occurs within two weeks after the virus is transmitted, and lesions typically heal within two to four weeks. Other symptoms during the primary episode may include a second crop of lesions, or flu-like symptoms, including fever and swollen glands. However, some individuals with HSV-2 infection may never have lesions, or may have very mild symptoms that they don't even notice or that they mistake for insect bites or a rash. Most people diagnosed with a primary episode of genital herpes can expect to have several symptomatic recurrences a year (average four or five); these recurrences usually are most noticeable within the first year following the first episode.

HIV/AIDS

 Fatal, Incurable

Estimates suggest that 650,000 to 900,000 Americans are now living with HIV, and at least 40,000 new infections occur each year.

Reported through June 2000: In Ohio Adults and Teenagers Living With HIV: 5,254; Living With AIDS: 4,264; In Pennsylvania Adults and Teenagers Living With AIDS: 10,682 (not report for HIV).

HIV infection and AIDS are now the sixth leading cause of death among young persons aged 15 to 24 years

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

*not a STD – but a common result of STDs.

 If PID isn't treated it can cause permanent damage to your internal organs. Scar tissue can form in the fallopian tubes and around the abdomen. These scars can prevent pregnancy or cause the pregnancy to form in the fallopian tube (called a tubal or ectopic pregnancy). Scarring can cause pain that lasts for months or even years. Occasionally, the effects of PID can be so severe that surgery is required to remove pus, get rid of scar tissue or remove damaged organs. Finally, PID is more likely to come back if you are exposed to STDs again. Each episode of PID causes more damage and a greater possibility of complications.

Chronic Pelvic Pain, Ectopic Pregnancy (Life-Threatening), Infertility, and Abscesses In The Pelvis.

Syphilis

 Syphilis is a complex STD caused by a bacteria.

It has often been called the great imitator because so many of the signs and symptoms are indistinguishable from those of other diseases.

Leads To Blindness, Heart Disease, Nervous Disorders, Insanity, Tumors, and Death

Syphilis is passed from person to person through direct contact with a sore. Sores mainly occur on the external genitals, vagina, anus, or in the rectum. Sores also can occur on the lips and in the mouth. Transmission of the organism occurs during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Pregnant women with the disease can pass it to the babies they are carrying.

In the United States, nearly 38,000 cases of syphilis were detected by health officials in 1998, including 7,000 cases of primary and secondary syphilis and 800 cases of congenital syphilis in newborns.

There is a 2- to 5-fold increased risk of acquiring HIV infection when syphilis is present. Areas of the U.S. that have the highest rates of syphilis also have the fastest-growing HIV infection rates in women of childbearing age.

*Source For Facts & Stats: Center For Disease Control and National Institute Of Health, December, 2000

 

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