Chlamydia in men is a series of infectious diseases that are provoked by pathogenic microorganisms – chlamydia. It is impossible to attribute them to viruses or bacteria; they are independent parasitic agents that multiply directly inside the cells of the body. This makes it difficult to diagnose the disease. In addition, in 50% of cases, the infection in men occurs without any symptoms that he might notice.
With the normal functioning of the immune system, it is quite problematic for chlamydia to penetrate the male body. However, frequent stress, poor nutrition, overwork affects the natural defenses and the immune response becomes not strong enough to prevent the microorganism from entering the cell. Most often, chlamydia affects the genitourinary system of men, however, they can parasitize in the respiratory system, they can cause chlamydial arthritis, conjunctivitis, etc.
It is possible to determine urogenital chlamydia only in the laboratory, after the patient has passed the necessary tests. But the infection is not always completely asymptomatic, sometimes it manifests itself with signs of cystitis, urethritis, prostatitis. Therefore, if any pathological symptoms occur, it is necessary to consult a specialist. It can be a urologist, venereologist or infectious disease specialist.
According to statistics, up to 90 million people fall ill with chlamydia every year in the world. Moreover, the disease is most common among the young population. This is due to the fact that a person is often a carrier of an infection, but he himself does not know about it. As a result, he infects his sexual partners, who change quite often at a young age. There is evidence that almost half of the male population in the active sexual age of 16 to 40 years are infected with this microorganism.
Symptoms of chlamydia in men
In 46% of cases, the disease does not manifest itself in any way and the symptoms of chlamydia in men are completely absent. But this does not mean that he cannot infect other people, and he poses a particular danger to his sexual partner. Once in the body of a man, chlamydia needs a certain time, which is called the incubation period, in order to begin to parasitize. On average, this period is two weeks, although in some cases it can increase up to 28-30 days.
After this time, the first signs of infection may appear, including:
An increase in body temperature to subfebrile marks. Most often, the values on the thermometer do not exceed 37,5 ° C. This occurs against the background of general weakness and fatigue.
Uncharacteristic vitreous discharge appears from the urethra of a man. Sometimes they are with inclusions of pus and mucus. You can notice them in the morning, after a night’s rest. Sometimes the discharge leads to sticking of the urethral sponges.
During the process of emptying the bladder, burning, itching occurs. The first portion of urine often has a cloudy sediment.
The entrance to the urethra is swollen, red.
As the disease progresses, symptoms may disappear completely. Most often this happens after 10 days. Therefore, if a man did not attach importance to the symptoms from the very beginning, he will soon forget about them and will not go to the doctor. As a result, the acute stage of the disease will turn into a chronic one, and in the future will cause various complications, including: prostatitis, urethritis, cystitis, etc.
The symptoms of chlamydia are not specific and are similar to those of other sexually transmitted infections. A nonspecific sign of chlamydmiosis is pain during the process of urination and during intercourse.
Causes of chlamydia in men
It is this infection that occupies a leading position among all sexually transmitted diseases. In recent years, there has been a clear trend towards an increase in cases of chlamydia infection among adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. A sick person may not experience absolutely no sensations, but at the same time he will be contagious.
Infection occurs sexually. Extrasexual transmission of the pathogen has no epidemiological significance, but it is not correct to exclude this possibility. You can get infected through inseminated personal items, through toiletries, through bed linen. But this happens very rarely.
In addition, infection of newborns from a sick mother during childbirth is possible. This happens in 50% of cases. This does not apply to men, but this fact should be taken into account, especially if the family is at the stage of pregnancy planning.
Aftermath
The consequences of chlamydia in men are quite serious.
They arise when the necessary therapy was not carried out, or if it was insufficient and ineffective, these are:
Prostatitis. Chlamydia, when penetrating into the prostate gland, can cause inflammation. As a result, the patient develops pain in the inguinal region, in the lower back, dysuric disorders are observed, potency suffers.
Urethritis followed by urethral strictures. A man will experience frequent urge to urinate, uncharacteristic discharge with pus and mucus will begin to stand out from the urethra.
Epididymitis. If the epididymis is involved in the pathological process, then this will lead to an increase in body temperature to high values, the epididymis itself will increase in size. In the end, this pathological process can end in infertility, or a pronounced violation of spermatogenesis.
Reiter’s disease is expressed in a triad of symptoms, including: urethritis, arthritis and conjunctivitis.
Orchitis and orchiepididymitis. Chlamydia affects either the testicle or the testicle along with the appendages.
Funiculitis and vesiculitis. There is an involvement in the process of inflammation of the spermatic cord and seminal vesicles.
In addition to these numerous inflammations of the genitourinary system, chlamydia can affect other organs. With an ascending infection, the kidneys, peritoneum, and liver may be involved in the pathological process. Therefore, it is so important to diagnose the disease and its timely treatment.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis of chlamydia in men should be especially thorough, since the microbe has a unique biological cycle and is often combined with other diseases caused by either pathogenic or opportunistic flora.
Often, urologists diagnose chronic prostatitis or chronic urethritis, referring them to diseases with an unexplained etiology. This is due to the fact that a comprehensive study is not always possible. As a result, a treatment is prescribed that does not relieve a man of chlamydia, but only makes it worse. Microorganisms develop resistance to therapy and continue to parasitize. There is evidence that 40% of male urethritis are of chlamydial origin, if they are not caused by gonococci.
It is possible to conduct the following studies to determine chlamydia:
Cultural analysis of a smear from the urethra (a long and laborious method for detecting microorganisms);
ELISA method, in which the pathogen is detected in the blood (a false negative result is possible);
PCR method (high sensitivity, and hence the high reliability of the method, the result will be obtained in the shortest possible time);
Transcriptional amplification is a new method, highly reliable, based on the detection of microorganism RNA in endocervical samples.
Treatment
Treatment of urogenital chlamydia in men is often very difficult. This is primarily due to the fact that patients seek medical help late. As a result, the disease is neglected, and complications often develop.
Before starting therapy, the doctor asks the patient how long ago he had the first symptoms of the disease, whether he tolerates all the drugs, whether he has allergic reactions. It is important to find out the presence of chronic diseases.
In addition, additional research methods are needed to clarify the following aspects.:
The state of the immune system;
Condition of the liver, gallbladder and pancreas;
Condition of the urogenital organs.
It is also important to establish the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases.
For chlamydia, use:
Antibiotics. Macrolides, fluoroquinolones or tetracyclines – a specific drug is prescribed by a doctor after all tests.
Immunomodulators without fail include in the general scheme of treatment of a clamidiosis.
Hepatoprotectors. Hepatoprotectors are used to maintain liver function.
Antioxidants. As antioxidants are: vitamin E, vitamin A, glutamic acid, sodium thiosulfate.
Eubiotics. To normalize the intestinal microflora.
Physiotherapy. Do not exclude physiotherapeutic methods from the treatment regimen, for example, ultrasound therapy, magneto-laser therapy, electrophoresis, etc.