La chlamydia is theInfection Sexually Transmitted (IS) most common in North America and Europe. It is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. This STI is more and more frequent and the number of cases has increased over the past fifteen years. In Canada, more than 65 cases were reported in 000. In 2006/3 of cases, this STI affects, in ¾ of cases, Adolescents et young adults aged 15 to 24. In France, 1,4% of men and 1,6% of women aged 18 to 44 have it.

This infection is difficult to diagnose because the majority of infected people have no symptoms and therefore do not seek medical attention. People infected with gonococcus, the bacterium that causes gonorrhea, are often infected with chlamydia as well. This is why screening for these two diseases must be carried out systematically.

Although the infection is easy to treat, it can lead to serious health problems if it is not caught and treated early.

Causes

Chlamydia is spread during unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex, by exchanging sex toys, by exchanging body fluids, and by contact with mucous membranes. It is rarely transmitted by cunnilingus.

Chlamydia can also be passed to a newborn baby from an infected mother during childbirth.

Possible complications

In women, untreated chlamydia can spread from the vagina to the uterus, and sometimes to the tubes. It then causes a pelvic inflammatory infectious disease. It can then cause a infertility, increase the risk of ectopic pregnancies and be responsible for chronic pelvic pain.

In humans, chlamydia can lead to inflammation of the prostate (infectious prostatitis) or testicles (orchi-epididymitis), which can lead to infertility.

In rarer cases, the infection spreads to the joints through the bloodstream, causing inflammation, in both sexes. This is the Fiessinger-Leroy-Reiter syndrome.

Chlamydia infection increases the risk of transmitting HIV. When a newborn baby is infected by its mother during childbirth, it may later contract a pulmonary infection (pneumonia) or eyepiece (conjunctivitis).

When to consult?

If you have had unsafe, unprotected sex, you should see your doctor for screening tests.

Chlamydia is often referred to as ” silent disease Because more than 50% of infected men and 70% of women have no symptoms and are unaware that they have it. Symptoms usually appear after a few weeks, but may take even longer to appear.