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Chlamydia is a sexually-transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Since approximately 75% of women and 50% of men have no symptoms, most people infected with chlamydia are not aware of their infections and therefore may not seek health care. Chlamydia is the most frequently reported infectious disease in the United States. Although 526,653 cases were reported in 1997, an estimated 3 million cases occur annually. Severe under-reporting is largely a result of substantial numbers of asymptomatic persons whose infections are not identified because screening is not available.
Incidence
Based on reports to CDC provided by states that collect age-specific data, teenage girls have the highest rates of chlamydial infection. In these states, 15- to 19-year-old girls represent 46% of infections and 20- to 24-year-old women represent another 33%. These high percentages are consistent with high rates of other STDs among teenagers.
Chlamydia is also common among young men, who are seldom offered screening.
Signs & Symptoms
Some women experience a white vaginal discharge that resembles cottage cheese, a burning sensation when urinating, itching, and painful intercourse. A clear watery urethral discharge in the male probably is a chlamydia infection.
Treatment & Prevention
When diagnosed, chlamydia can be easily treated and cured by conventional medical means.
CDC has developed recommendations for the prevention and management of chlamydia for all providers of health care. These recommendations call for screening of all sexually active females under 20 years of age at least annually, and annual screening of women ages 20 and older with one or more risk factors for chlamydia (i.e. new or multiple sex partners and lack of barrier contraception). All women with infection of the cervix and all pregnant women should be tested.
Prognosis; Complications
Untreated, chlamydia can cause severe and costly reproductive and other health problems which include both short- and long-term consequences, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which is the critical link to infertility, and potentially fatal tubal pregnancy.
Untreated chlamydia in men typically causes urethral infection, but may also result in complications such as swollen and tender testicles.
Chlamydia may also result in adverse outcomes of pregnancy, including neonatal conjunctivitis and pneumonia. In addition, recent research has shown that women infected with chlamydia have a 3- to 5-fold increased risk of acquiring HIV, if exposed.
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Signs, symptoms & indicators of STD Chlamydia:
Conditions that suggest STD Chlamydia:
Risk factors for STD Chlamydia:
STD Chlamydia can lead to: | | | | | Tumors, Malignant |  Cervical Cancer | In a five year follow-up study, women whose blood had shown signs of infection with any type of chlamydia were about 2-1/2 times more likely to develop cervical cancer, compared with those who had had no signs of infection. Women with one particular subtype of chlamydia in their blood (serotype G) were 6 times more likely to develop cervical cancer, and several other subtypes were linked to risks 3 to 4 times that of uninfected women. |
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Preventive measures against STD Chlamydia:
KEY | | Weak or unproven link |  | | Strong or generally accepted link |  | | Proven definite or direct link |  | | Weakly counter-indicative |  | | Highly recommended |
GLOSSARY
Asymptomatic
Not showing symptoms.
Bacteria (Bacterial, Bacterium)
Microscopic germs. Some bacteria are "harmful" and can cause disease, while other "friendly" bacteria protect the body from harmful invading organisms.
Cancer
Refers to the various types of malignant neoplasms that contain cells growing out of control and invading adjacent tissues, which may metastasize to distant tissues.
CDC
United States' Center for Disease Control.
Cervix
The lower part of the uterus that opens into the vagina.
Chlamydia
A sexually-transmitted disease that is often without symptoms. Some females experience a white vaginal discharge that resembles cottage cheese, a burning sensation when urinating, itching, and painful intercourse. A clear watery urethral discharge in the male probably is a chlamydia infection.
Conjunctiva (Conjunctivitis)
Mucous membrane covering the posterior surface of the eyelids and the anterior surface of the eyeball. Conjunctivitis: An inflammation of the conjunctiva, either from environmental irritation, allergies, viral or bacterial infections.
Discharge (Discharges)
A secretion, of pus for example, from a wound or bodily orifice.
Ectopic Pregnancy (Ectopic Pregnancies, Tubal Pregnancies, Tubal Pregnancy)
A pregnancy in which the egg becomes fertilized but cannot pass into the uterus to grow. Instead, the egg usually attaches in the fallopian tube, which connects the ovary to the uterus. The fertilized egg cannot grow normally in the fallopian tube. This type of pregnancy is life-threatening to the mother, and almost always fatal to her fetus. It is the leading cause of pregnancy-related death in African-American women.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
A retrovirus associated with onset of advanced immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Neonatal (Neonate)
A term that refers to newborn infants, particularly during the first four weeks of life.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID, Salpingitis)
A purulent (pus-like) vaginal discharge with fever and lower abdominal pain. Salpingitis: Inflammation of the fallopian tubes.
Pneumonia (Pneumonitis)
Inflammation, usually infectious, of the lungs. Unless the result of only moderate chemical or smoke irritation, it is a potentially life-threatening condition. There are so many defenses against an infection this deep in the body that the very presence of pneumonia signals a pathogen of great virulence or impaired or exhausted immunity, or all three. Pneumonitis: Inflammation of the lungs, from whatever cause. It may be concurrent with pneumonia or pleurisy.
Testicles (Testicle, Testicular)
Egg-shaped sex glands in the scrotum that secrete male hormones such as testosterone, and produce sperm.
Urethral Discharge
A discharge from the urethra (the narrow tube that transports urine from the bladder to the outside of the body) that may be a cloudy, yellow-green mucous, white (like 'cottage cheese'), either watery or thick, odorless or malodorous.
Last updated: Nov 08, 2009
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