Chlamydia: I have been told I am infected with Chlamydia. I thought this only affected women?
No, Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that causes sexually-transmitted disease in both sexes. You get it by having oral, anal or vaginal sex or sexual contact with someone who is infected. Because it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and possibly infertility in women, this aspect of the disease has attracted most attention.
According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), almost 2,500 men tested positive for Chlamydia in Ireland in 2008.
What are the symptoms of chlamydia infection?
Often the infection causes no symptoms at all. As many as one in four men with Chlamydia have no symptoms. Men can experience a burning sensation while urinating and may have a discharge from the penis.
The microbe causes inflammation of the urethra, the tube that drains urine from the bladder. You may also notice some redness and swelling at the opening of the urethra at the tip of the penis.
The infection can also travel to the epididymis, the tube that carries sperm from the testicles. When this happens, Chlamydia trachomatismay cause pain and swelling of the testicles. Rectal pain or discharge may also occur.
How is it treated?
After confirming the diagnosis by sending a sample of secretions from the penis to a laboratory, treatment with antibiotics is usually effective.
Some older antibiotics, such as erythromycin and tetracycline, work, as well as newer ones such as azithromycin.
It is essential that your sexual partner is treated at the same time, otherwise the infection will recur. Even if your partner has no symptoms, he or she must be treated. You can reduce your future risk of contracting the infection by using condoms.
Another way to avoid Chlamydia is to have a monogamous sexual relationship with a partner who is not infected. In terms of complications in men, a narrowing of the urethra can occur which may require surgery to put right.
Does Chlamydia cause other kinds of infection?
Yes, different strains of Chlamydia cause eye, lung and lymph node infections. When a pregnant woman who has Chlamydia infection of the neck of the womb gives birth, the baby may develop an eye or lung infection.
Some experts advise sexually active young women to undergo screening by having a Chlamydia test every year.
Those with Chlamydia may also have other sexually-transmitted infections such as syphilis or gonorrhoea.
