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If you think you have an STD go to your
doctor and get a diagnosis as early as possible. Most common sexually
transmitted diseases can be cured. This artical is not meant to displace
sound medical advice from a licensed physician.
HIV / AIDS
Full name:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome. It is
important to distinguish between the two. HIV is the virus that ultimately
causes AIDS. AIDS is a syndrome, a collection of symptoms associated with
HIV infection.
Symptoms:
People infected with HIV may have no symptoms for up to fifteen years.
During this time, they are capable of infecting anyone they have sex with or
donate blood to. Initial symptoms of HIV infection include inexplicable
weight loss, persistent fever, swollen lymph nodes, and reddish spots on the
skin (Karposi's Sarcoma).
HIV causes the destruction of the
immune system. It's most pronounced symptoms, therefore, are opportunistic
infections of pneumocystis carinii, fungal infections, tuberculosis, and
various herpes forms.
Treatment:
There is no cure for HIV / AIDS. Right now most scientists agree that if you
are infected with HIV, you will eventually die of AIDS. Treatment may fend
off infections, however the typical course is for one overwhelming infection
to follow another until the victim succumbs. Various drugs may slow the
virus, but right now there is no cure.
Transmission:
In a person infected with HIV, the virus can be present in the body's semen,
blood, and breast milk. It can also be present, in much smaller quantities,
in vaginal secretion, saliva, and tears.
The AIDS virus can be transmitted via
any of these fluids, but only the first two -- semen and blood -- are likely
to be involved. Anal sex is the most commonly perceived method of transfer,
but vaginal sex has been repeatedly shown to transmit HIV. Men are less
likely than women to be infected through vaginal sex, but there are recorded
cases of men having been infected this way. Cunnilingus and fellatio have
also been established as capable of transmitting the virus. Sexual
activities, not sexual orientation, transmit the virus.
HIV cannot be passed on through casual
contact, hugging, hand-shaking, touching the sweat of an infected person, or
mosquito bites.
Testing:
The HIV test shows the presence of antibodies to HIV. It does not show the
presence of the virus: the body first has to develop antibodies, which
normally takes about six weeks. Hence, a positive result means that someone
has antibodies and could possibly develop AIDS in the future. A negative
result means that someone
does not have antibodies at the moment. If there is a reason to think that
exposure was more recent than six weeks, then a test taken immediately can
only serve as a baseline to compare against a test taken later. Within six
months of HIV infection, 99% of the population will test positive. No one
should be tested for HIV without first obtaining counselling and ensuring
beforehand support from his or her family or friends.
Gonorrhea
Male Symptoms:
Yellowish discharge from the penis. Painful, frequent urination. Symptoms
develop from two to thirty days after infection. Roughly 20% of infected men
have no symptoms. Later stages of the infection may move into the prostate,
seminal vesicles, and epididymis, causing severe pain and fever. Rare cases
can lead to septic arthritis. Untreated, gonorrhea can lead to sterility.
Female Symptoms:
Under half of women with gonorrhea show no symptoms, or symptoms so mild
they are commonly ignored. Early symptoms include increased vaginal
discharge, irritation of the external genitals, pain or burning on urination
and abnormal menstrual bleeding. Women who are untreated may develop severe
complications. Theinfection will usually spread to the uterus, Fallopian
tubes, and ovaries, causing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). PID, though
not only caused by gonorrhea, is the most common cause of female
infertility. Early symptoms of PID are lower abdominal pain, fever, nausea,
vomiting, and pain during intercourse.
Treatment:
Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection, and is therefore treated with standard
antibiotics, usually a member of the penicillin family. Tetracycline drugs
frequently do not cure gonorrhea, especially in cases of anal infection. One
variety of gonorrhea, nicilliase-producing N. gonorrhea, is immune to
penicillin, and drugs of the cyclosporin family may be necessary.
Transmission:
The bacteria that causes gonorrhea can be passed through sexual contact,
such as intercourse, fellatio, anal sex, cunnilingus and even kissing,
although the last is rare.
Syphilis
Symptoms:
Primary Stage:
A chancre sore develops at the site of infection from two to four weeks
after infection has occurred. The chancre is painless 75% of the time. The
chancre starts as a dull red spot, turns into a pimple, which ulcerates,
forming a round or oval sore with a red rim. The sore heals in 4-6 weeks -
however, the infection is still present.
The chancre is usually found on the genitals or anus, but can appear on any
part of the skin.
Secondary Stage:
One week to six months after the chancre heals. Pale red or pinkish rash
appears (often on palms or soles) fever, sore throat, headaches, joint
pains, poor appetite, weight loss, hair loss. Moist sores may appear around
the genitals or anus and are highly infectious. Symptoms usually last three
to six months, but can come and go.
Latent Stage:
No apparent symptoms, and the carrier is no longer contagious. However, the
organism is insinuating itself into the host's tissues. 50 to 70 percent of
carriers pass the rest of their lives without the disease leaving this
stage. The reminder pass into Last Stage syphilis.
Last Stage:
Serious heart problems, eye problems, brain and spinal cord damage, with a
high probability of paralysis, insanity, blindness or death. Treatment:
Penicillin by injection, or a two-week regimen of tetracycline, is the
standard treatment for syphilis. Two follow-up blood tests two weeks apart
after ending treatment are necessary to ensure the treatment is complete.
The first three stages of syphilis are completely curable, and even in the
last stage syphilis can be stopped. With the present medical technology to
diagnose and treat syphilis, no one should ever suffer the effects of
last-stage syphilis.
Transmission:
Nominally sexual contact, but can be transmitted by blood transfusion or
from an infected pregnant woman to her fetus.
Gential Warts and Human Papilloma
Virus
Symptoms:
Half of the people infected with HPV do not show any symptoms. When symptoms
are present, they are small, visible warts appearing at the tip of the penis
or at the opening of vagina. In women, HPV also causes cervical lesions.
Warts can occur anywhere on the shaft of penis or the scrotum in men, and
anywhere around the labial area or inside the vagina in women. In women, an
abnormal Pap smear may indicate cervical lesions, but a coloscopy is
necessary to confirm this.
Treatment:
Warts are pinpoint infections, and can be treated as such. Podophyllin
solution, trichlorocetic acid, and fluorouracil cream are three chemical
solutions used to burn warts from the skin. Liquid nitrogen or lasers are
sometimes used, as well as electrodessication. A six-month check-up is
necessary to confirm that all the warts were destroyed, and even then a
small percentage of people may experience a recurrence of warts within 18
months.
Transmission:
The virus is transmitted through sexual contact. Warts are considered very
contagious even in people who show no visible symptoms.
Genital Herpes, HSV
Full Name:
Herpes Simplex Virus I and Herpes Simplex Virus II. HSV-I is most often
associated with cold sores or fever blisters about the mouth and lips, while
HSV-II is associated with sores around the gential area. There is some
crossover, however, and each virus will survive quite comfortably in both
regions.
Symptoms:
Herpes is marked by clusters of small, painful blisters on the genitals.
After a few days, the blisters burst, leaving small ulcers. In men, the
blisters usually appear on the penis, but can appear in the urethra or
rectum. In women, they usually appear on the labia, but can appear on the
cervix and anal area. First outbreaks are accompanied by fever, headache,
and muscle soreness for two or more consecutive days in 39% of men and 68%
of women.
Other relatively common symptoms include painful urination discharge from
the urethra or vagina, and tender, swollen lymph nodes in the groin. These
symptoms tend to disappear within two weeks. Aseptic meningitis occurs in 8
percent of cases, eye infections in 1% of cases, and infection of the cervix
in 88% of infected women. Skin lesions last on average 16.5 days in men,
19.7 in women. Secondary symptoms are most prominent in the first four days
and then gradually diminish.
Recurrence:
None in 10% of cases. Frequency for the remaining population is from once a
month to once every few years. The majority of sufferers do not have repeat
attacks after a few years. Most repeat attacks are less severe than the
initial attack.
Treatment:
There is no medical cure for herpes. Treatment with acyclovir reduces pain
and viral reproduction during outbreaks of sores, although it will not delay
or prevent recurrences.
Transmission:
Generally by sexual contact. Direct contact with infected genitals can cause
transmission via intercourse, rubbing genitals together, oral genital
contact, anal sex, or oral/anal contact. In addition, normally protected
areas of skin can become infected if there is a cut, rash, sore. Herpes
viruses can be spread in some instances by kissing, if one participant has
the infection sited in or near the mouth.
Crabs, Pubic Lice
Symptoms:
Pubic lice are just that, lice that has infested your public hair. The most
common symptom is intense itching, usually felt mostly at night. Some
victims have no symptoms, others may develop an allergic rash.
Treatment:
Various shampoos and lotions exist to kill lice, but the best solution is
simply to shave off the pubic and hair and shower vigorously afterwards.
Transmission:
Nominally through sexual contact, however they may be picked up through use
of sheets, towels or clothing used by an infected person.
Nonspecific Urethritis (NSU) or
Nongonoccal Urethritis (NGU)
Caused by:
Chlamydia trachomatous, T. mycoplasma, ureaplasma urealyticum, mycolasma
hominis. An estimated quarter of cases are allergic reactions to latex or
spermicide.
Symptoms:
Similar to gonorrhea but usually milder. Urethral discharge is generally
thin and clear. Planned Parenthood estimates that half of the women with one
of these diseases doesn't know it. NSU/NGU in women can lead to pelvic
inflammatory disease and sterility.
Transmission:
In cases involving a pathogen, sexual intercourse, as well as hands with
semen or vaginal secretions on them infecting the eye.
Treatment:
Penicillin is generally not effective against NGU/NSU- causing organisms.
Tetracycilne is generally prescribed; sulfa drugs are effective against
chlamydia but not the others.
Hepatitis B
Symptoms:
About half of those who get hepatitis B will suffer from an inflammation of
the liver, called acute hepatitis. Many people with hepatitis B mistake the
symptoms for other illnesses, such as the flu, while others are more
seriously affected and may miss school or work for months. Other common
symptoms include skin rashes and arthritis, nausea, vomiting, loss of
appetite, malaise, abdominal pain, and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and
skin).
Treatment:
There is no cure for hepatitis B. There is a vaccine, however, that is very
effective. It is also expensive. Consult your physician. A small percentage
of people who acquire hepatitis B will carry the virus in their bloodstreams
for the rest of their lives as carriers.
Transmission:
Hepatitis B is transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of an
infected person, and that includes sexual contact. It is a considered a
highly infectious disease and should be taken seriously.
Written by Elf
Sternberg.
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