Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a disease of urogenital organs caused by intracellular bacteria chlamydia. Outside of the human organism chlamydia die in 1 minute at temperatures of 90-100°Ñ, in 5 minutes at 70 °Ñ (at 18 ° Ñ and below the infection can remain on cotton fabric for up to 2 days), and under exposure to disinfectants. Chlamydia is transmitted sexually or rarely via innerwear, linen, dirty hands. It is diagnosed in 30-60 % of women and up to 50 % of men afflicted with non-gonococcal inflammatory diseases of urogenital tract.

In women, the infection usually affects cervical canal of uterus, less often primary urethra. Many patients develop ascending infection that affects uterus, uterine tubes, ovaries, and can lead to peritonitis. Chlamydia can travel from urethra to urinary bladder, causing cystoureteritis. In women and homosexuals, sometimes chlamydia proctitis is diagnosed that often proceeds with few or no symptoms.

Clinical presentations of urogenital chlamydia are very diverse. Its clinical course can be acute, subacute, chronic and latent. Acute form causes hyperemia of mucous coats of urethra and cervix of the uterus, sometimes more frequent urges to urinate, mucopurulent discharge from urethra and vagina. On subacute and chronic forms in men and women these symptoms are low and mucopurulent discharge is observed only in the mornings. Patients with latent form often have no symptoms and chlamydia can only be found in discharge from urogenital organs.

Chlamydia characteristics put them into intermediate position between viruses and bacteria. Therefore chlamydia is still diagnosed and treated more difficultly than common bacterial infections.

Incubation period of chlamydia is approximately 1-3 weeks. Patients infected with chlamydia note characteristic vitreous discharge from the urethra in the mornings. They can experience itching or unpleasant sensations during urination, conglutination of the lips of external urethral opening. Sometimes general health condition can become worse, general weakness and slight increase of the body temperature is noted. It is necessary to note that chlamydia often does not cause pronounced symptoms or does not declare itself at all.

In women, chlamydia infection often causes Fallopian tubes obstruction, abdominal pregnancy, puerperal or postabortion endometritis. Chlamydia patients often experience complications during pregnancy.