Venereal Diseases....
Introduction
Once known as venereal diseases or VD and now called sexually transmitted diseases or . It usually transmitted by sexual contact. The disease affects your genitals, skin and mucous membranes, but it may also involve many other parts of your body, including your brain and your heart. The diseases spreads through semen or vaginal fluids during unprotected sexual contact, heterosexual or homosexual, with an infected partner. The more sexual partners you have, the greater your risk. Casual contact, such as kissing, doesn't spread the disease. STDs can cause urinary tract problems, sterility in women, and prostatic inflammation in men. Venereal Diseases are classified as follows:-
Gonorrhoea
Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacterium found only in human beings. The scientific name for this bacterium is Neisseria gonorrhoea. The bacterium is nearly always spread from person to person through intimate sexual contact. If left untreated, gonorrhoea can have serious health consequences.
In men, gonorrhoea bacteria usually infect the urethra (urinary tube), just inside the opening at the tip of the penis. About 1 to 14 days after infection, most men develop a burning sensation when urinating, accompanied by a discharge from the penis. The discharge may at first be watery, but it soon becomes thick, and yellowish. Some men experience few or no symptoms.
In women, the infection usually starts in the cervix (neck of the uterus) inside the vagina. Symptoms include discharge from the vagina and painful urination. These symptoms may be mild, and they frequently go unnoticed. Without prompt treatment, the bacteria may spread through the uterus to the fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This condition may lead to sterility or even death.
Babies born to women with gonorrhoea may become infected during the birth process. In most such cases, the bacteria infect the infant's eyes. If not treated promptly, the infant may become blind. Individuals may reduce their risk of infection with gonorrhoea by using condoms or other protective measures during sexual activity
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that can lead to a variety of severe symptoms if left untreated. Syphilis is caused by a spirochaete (corkscrew-shaped bacterium) named Treponema pallidum. This organism lives only in human beings and is usually spread during intimate sexual activity.
If left untreated, syphilis typically progresses through three stages: (1) primary, (2) secondary, and (3) tertiary, or late. A usually prolonged latent period, characterized by the total absence of symptoms, occurs between the second and third stages.
Primary syphilis develops 10 days to three months after infection. It begins as a small, red pimple at the site of infection. This pimple develops into a sore called a chancre. The chancre is usually painless and may go unnoticed. It disappears within six weeks.
Secondary syphilis begins about a week to six months after the chancre disappears. Chiefly a rash characterizes this stage. The rash may appear on many parts of the body, especially the soles of the feet and the palms. The patient may also experience such symptoms as fever, headache, and hair loss. The symptoms may be mild and may again go unnoticed, and they disappear within several weeks.
In the latent period, infection can only be detected by a blood test. If the disease still goes untreated, late syphilis may occur at any time during the rest of the patient's life. In this final stage, the spirochaete may attack the brain, heart, skin, bones, and spinal cord, causing blindness, deafness, mental illness, heart failure, paralysis, and bone deformities.
A pregnant woman who has syphilis can pass the disease to her unborn child. Many such babies die before birth. Those born alive may suffer from blindness, deafness, abnormal bone growth, mental retardation, or other disorders.
Herpes
Herpes, Genital, is the name of a widespread sexually transmitted disease. It is also known simply as herpes. Genital herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus, type 1 (HSV-1) or type 2 (HSV-2). HSV-1 and HSV-2 are two of the herpes viruses, a group of viruses that cause a wide variety of diseases.
The herpes simplex virus infects only human beings and is transmitted during intimate sexual activity. In most cases, infection occurs on or around the sex organs or rectum. The virus then spreads along the nerves that connect the infected area to the central nervous system. The virus may be present in the body without producing signs of illness. An infected person also may experience symptoms that go away, only to reappear months or years later.
Symptoms include fever, headache, stiffness in the neck, and weakness. Within one to three weeks after infection, a small pimple develops at the site of infection. The pimple rapidly becomes a blister, which then develops into an open, painful sore called an ulcer. Other blisters appear, accompanied by painful urination and itching. Women may experience discharge from the vagina. The ulcers last 4 to 15 days, then gradually crust over and heal. Sores may recur up to several times a year. During these times, the blisters and ulcers heal more rapidly and are less painful.
In people with AIDS, symptoms of genital herpes can be particularly severe, involving persistent, painful ulcers that last for months. The symptoms worsen as AIDS progresses and become very difficult to control.
A pregnant woman who has genital herpes may pass the infection to her baby during the birth process. Infection in the newborn may spread throughout the body, leading to blindness, brain damage, or death.
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is the name commonly given to a widespread sexually transmitted disease. The organism Chlamydia trachomatis causes the disease. Doctors often call this disease nongonococcal urethritis or nonspecific urethritis.
The chlamydia organism lives only in human beings and is spread from person to person, chiefly through intimate sexual contact. The chlamydia germ can infect many parts of the body, including the sex organs, rectum, and throat. Symptoms of the infection resemble those of gonorrhoea. In men, symptoms appear about 7 to 21 days after infection. Most infected men develop a white or colourless discharge from the penis, accompanied by painful urination. The symptoms may go unnoticed, and they usually disappear after several months. But if the infection goes untreated, the patient may infect other people.
In women, chlamydia infection frequently goes unrecognized. Less than a third of infected women develop a vaginal discharge, and many have no symptoms. However, the consequences of untreated infection in women can be especially severe. The chlamydia germ can spread through the uterus and into the fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease, a condition that may result in sterility or death. Pregnant women who have chlamydia can transmit it to their babies during delivery. The germ may infect the baby's lungs, causing pneumonia, and the eyes, causing conjunctivitis
In some developing countries, certain varieties of C. trachomatis can infect the eyes, especially in children. These germs are spread by close nonsexual contact and perhaps by flies. People infected may develop trachoma, which can lead to blindness
Chlamydia infection is difficult to diagnose. Doctors often assume a patient has chlamydia if symptoms are present and gonorrhoea infection cannot be confirmed. Doctors treat chlamydia infection with tetracycline or other antibiotics. Treatment is most effective when given early in the course of the disease. Strategies for avoiding chlamydia infection include using condoms or other protective measures during intimate sexual contact.
Causes
Venereal diseases are transmitted by intimate contact with high risk individuals, when at least one has had more than one partner. Anyone who has unprotected sex is at risk of contracting such diseases.
When to seek medical advice
Blisters around the vagina-penis, burning sensation while urinating, anal pain, itching, pelvic inflammation, penile discharge, sore throat, flu-like symptoms, white vaginal discharge, a sore on the genitals; accompanied by rash, fever, patches of flaking tissue; sore throat; and sores in the mouth or anus and more etc.
Medicine for Venereal Diseases
Early diagnosis and treatment can kill the organism that causes these diseases and stop the progression of the disease. Left untreated, the disease can lead to serious complications or death. Special combinations of medicines to cure gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, detoxifies and purifies blood.
