Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are among the most common causes of illness in the world. In some populations, the sexually transmitted disease syphilis is at epidemic proportions. In fact, sexually transmitted diseases, including syphilis increases the risk of HIV. In the case of syphilis, the open sores caused by this sexually transmitted disease makes an ideal portal for HIV to enter the body. The following talks about the four most common sexually transmitted diseases.
Like many STDs, syphilis increases the risk of HIV infection, as the open sores (chancres) caused by syphilis make an ideal portal for HIV to enter the body. This feature, the first in a four-part STD series, is your guide to syphilis, its signs and symptoms and how it's treated.
Syphilis Guide
Part two in our four-part series on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) talks about the STD gonorrhea. Caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae, gonorrhea infects about 700,000 people in the United States each year. Unfortunately, only about half of those infections are reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), making gonorrhea prevention and treatment much more difficult. Let's take a closer look at the infection and review gonorrhea signs and symptoms.
Gonorrhea Guide
In 2008, there were roughly 1.2 million cases of chlamydia reported to the Centers for Disease Control. However, experts believe it is substantially under-reported, mainly due to the lack of obvious signs and symptoms in many cases. It's estimated that there could be as many as 2.8 million new cases of chlamydia each year in the U.S. The difference in estimated numbers and reported numbers means many people are unknowingly infected with chlamydia and can infect others. Part three in our series discusses Chlamydia.
Chlamydia Guide
Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a one-cell parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. It's estimated that 7.4 million men and women get trichomoniasis each year. This common sexually transmitted disease affects both men and women; however, symptoms are more common in women, appearing in about 50% of those who are infected. In men, infection lasts only a short time and is usually urethral, meaning it affects primarily the urinary tract. While the infection in men lasts only a short time, infected men can easily transmit the parasite to a female partner. The last in our series discusses Trichomoniasis.
Trichomoniasis Guide
