Monday, March 16, 2009

Silent but deadly

Chlamydia is now the most commonly reported notifiable disease in the United States, with annual cases reaching over a million for the first time in 2006, and now the recently released 2007 statistics show an increase to 1.1 million. Chlamydia is actually very easily treated and CURED with antibiotics, so what's the big deal? Well, the big deal is that you have to know it is there to treat it, and Chlamydia is silent in half of men and 75% of women! Chlamydia will happily remain in your reproductive tract, setting up shop and potentially scarring your tubes and impairing your fertility for years if not treated. It is estimated that if we physicians started screening every woman who is sexually active, we would annually prevent 60,000 cases of pelvic inflammatory disease, 8,000 cases of chronic pelvic pain and over 7,000 cases of infertility! Talk about saving heart ache, pain, and not to mention countless health care dollars!
So, what's the myth? The myth is that you will KNOW if you have an STD. The FACT is that most STDs are silent, and Chlamydia is one where silence is deadly.
BOTTOM LINE: If you have had a new sexual partner, please go to your physician and ask to be tested for all STDs, especially Chlamydia. Do NOT wait for symptoms to worry about STDs!!


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