by M.J. Holliday

Created on: December 10, 2010

Chlamydia is the most common sexually-transmitted disease in Canada and the United States. An estimated one million Americans have chlamydia, and many are unaware of it.

In the majority of women and thirty percent of men, chlamydia shows no symptoms. Chlamydia is a primary cause of genital and eye disease. Untreated chlamydia can lead to widespread infection, blindness and sterility. Even when symptoms are absent, chlamydia is highly contagious.

Cause of Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. C. trachomatis lives only inside human cells. Chlamydia may spread in one of several ways, including:

• transmission by a sexual partner during vaginal, anal or oral sex

• passed to the fetus if the mother is infected

• eye infections can spread through flies, coughing or infected towels

In 50-75% of women and 30% of men, chlamydia is asymptomatic, manifesting no symptoms. In newborns, conjunctivitis caused by chlamydia usually appears about a week after birth.

Signs and Symptoms of Chlamydia in Women

In women, chlamydia causes cervicitis, or infection at the neck of the womb. Chlamydia symptoms appear about seven to twenty-one days after exposure. Early symptoms, if they appear, may be mild.

Chlamydia symptoms in women include:

• abnormal vaginal discharge, usually clear

• vaginal itch

• vaginal swelling

• pain or burning during urination

• fever

• abdominal pain

• bleeding between periods

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) occurs in about half of infected women, causing fever, pain, infection and scarring of the reproductive organs. Pelvic inflammatory disease affects the uterus, fallopian tubes and/or ovaries, and can cause sterility if untreated.

Signs and Symptoms of Chlamydia in Men

In men, chlamydia infects the urethra, causing urethritis. Chlamydia symptoms in men include:

• white discharge from the penis

• burning or itching around the tip of the penis

• painful urination (dysuria)

• frequent urination, with or without pain

• testicular infection (painful or swollen testicles)

• epididymitis (infection of the epididymis, the tube carrying sperm from the testicles)

Epididymitis can cause sterility if not treated within 6 to 8 weeks. In men, chlamydia infection is linked to prostatitis.

In some cases, chlamydia and gonorrhea occur together and may manifest similar symptoms. Penile discharge due to gonorrhea is thick and yellowish.

Long-term

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