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Chlamydia: Prevention and Treatment

Summary & Participants

Chlamydia is often refered to, and joked about, as "the clap". But for the 3 million people who are infected with it each year in the U.S. alone, it's no laughing matter. Join our panel of experts for a discussion of the causes and treatments for this sexually transmitted disease

Medically Reviewed On: July 14, 2008

Webcast Transcript

DAVID FOLK THOMAS: I mentioned that they estimate 3 million Americans are infected every year. How common is chlamydia in the realm of STDs? Do more people have chlamydia than say herpes or gonorrhea or is it an even mix, Dr. Stracher?

ADAM STRACHER, MD: It depends on whether you're talking about symptomatic disease. Chlamydia is a very common infection. More people have probably been exposed to herpes infection but may not have symptoms from herpes infection. But chlamydia, as you said, affects about 3 million people. At least half, both men and women, may have no symptoms as Dr. Boyle mentioned. The problem there is that they may spread it to other people. Then if those people are infected and don't get treated, they may develop consequences later on that may be not life-threatening but very serious.

DAVID FOLK THOMAS: Let's deal with some of the symptoms because sometimes it is asymptomatic. Let's right now focus on if you do have symptoms, what are some of the symptoms of chlamydia?

ADAM STRACHER, MD: Again, there may be none. I think that's the most important thing.

DAVID FOLK THOMAS: We'll get back to that. But for if you do have a symptom.

ADAM STRACHER, MD: I'd say the most common symptom is probably a discharge, either a vaginal discharge or a penile discharge. It is followed by such things as pain when you urinate. In general, as this disease progresses, it can lead to additional pelvic or abdominal pain as various other symptoms or complexes of symptoms develop.

DAVID FOLK THOMAS: When you talk about a discharge, what is that discharge? Is that when you're going to the bathroom? When you're walking around?

ADAM STRACHER, MD: It can be just when you're walking around.

DAVID FOLK THOMAS: What does it look like?

ADAM STRACHER, MD: It's generally a yellowish discharge. Patients who have it come in and what they complain of is I had sex with someone, unprotected sex with someone, say two weeks ago. There is a certain period that this will develop over. It's generally over about 7 to 14 days. So you may go two weeks from your last sexual encounter before you actually start to have a problem.

Patients will say, "Two weeks ago I had unprotected sex. Now I have a discharge or I have pain when I urinate." That will be a sign that they have some infection. Then you have to do an evaluation to determine exactly what the infection is because the symptoms are very nonspecific.

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