Sexually transmitted infections

Question 1

Sexually transmitted infections STI

Answer 1

Infections preferred over disease becuase it is a broader and more inclusive term
–> STD refers to only infections causing symptomes (STI also without symptoms)

Question 2

Chlamydia

Answer 2

Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterium spread by sexual contact and infects the genital organs
- best prevention is a condom

Question 3

Symptoms of chlamydia

Answer 3

Thin and usually clear discharge and mild discomfort on urination
- appears 7-21 days after the infection
- 50% male is asymptomatic
- 75% female is asymptomatic
–> can still infect others

Question 4

Diagnosis and treatment chlamydia

Answer 4

Diagnosis: urine sample for men and vaginal cell or urine sample for women
Treatment: quite curable (antibiotica??)

Question 5

Chlamydia symptoms for women

Answer 5

• pain when urinating
• unusual vaginal discharge
• pain in the tummy or pelvis
• pain during sex
• bleeding after sex
• bleeding between periods

Question 6

Chlamydia symptoms for men

Answer 6

• pain when urinating
• white or watery discharge from the tip
• burning or itching in the urethra
• pain in the testicles

Question 7

If chlamydia is left untreated

Answer 7

Women: it can spread to the womb and cause a serius condition called pelvic inflammatory disease. This is a major cause of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women
Men: epididymitis the infection can cayse swelling in the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles and the testicles themselves. Could effect fertility. Uretrhal damage

Question 8

Gonorrhea

Answer 8

Also called the clap or the drip
- caused by a bacterium (neisseria gonorrhoeae or gonococcus)
- olders of the sexual diseases

Question 9

Gonorrhea symptoms

Answer 9

Appear 2-5 days after infection
- a think green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis, pain when urinating and in women bleeding between periods
- however aroun 1 in 10 infected males and almost half infected females are asymptomatic
- if left untreated, women risk pelvic inflammatory disease (pelvic pain and infertility). In men, it causes painful infection in the testicles and prostate gland, which may lead to reduced dertility in a small number of cases

Question 10

Diagnosis of gonorrhea

Answer 10

Men: sample of discharge is examinated or a urine test
Women: cervical discharge, urine test and a pelvic exam
Both: a swab from the throat or rectum could be taken and cultured if necessary

Question 11

Syphilis

Answer 11

Caused by the Treponema pallidum bacterium
- can cause damage to the nervous system and even cause death
- makes one more vulnerable to HIV and vice versa

Question 12

Stage of syphilis

Answer 12

Syphilis proceeds in stages
- primary stage
- secondary stage
- latent syphilis (may last for years)
–> in the latent stage, the disease is no longer infectious, except that pregnant women can still pass it on to the fetus (congenital syphilis)
- late syphilis (tertiary-stage)

Question 13

Primary syphilis

Answer 13

The first symptoms usually develop around 2 or 3 weeks after infection
- the main symptom is a small, painless core or ulcer, resembling a crater
- the sore will typically be on the penis, vagina or around the anus, but sometimes appears in the mouth or on the lips, fingers or buttocks
- most people only have one sore, but some have several
- swollen glands in your nech, groin or armpit
–> these symptoms usually pass within 2 to 8 weeks. But if left untreated it may progress to a second stage

Question 14

Secondary syphilis

Answer 14

Beginning a few months after the appearance of the sores (chancre)
- a blotchy red rash that can appear anywhere on the body, but often develops on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- the rash does not itch or hurt
- small skin growths on the vulva or around the anus
- white patches in the mounth
- flu-like symptoms, such as tiredness, headaches, joint pains, and fever
- swollen glands
- occasionally patchy hair loss
–> these symptoms usually pass within a week, although they may come and go over several months before they disappear

Question 15

Tertiary/late syphilis

Answer 15

Syphilis can spread to parts of the body such as the brain or nerves and cause serious and potentially life-treatening problems
- meningitis
- strokes
- demential symptoms
- loss of coordination
- numbness
- vision problems or blindness
- heart problems
–> syphilis is still treatable at this stage, but it is sometimes not possible to reverse any damage that has already been done

Question 16

Diagnosis of syphilis

Answer 16

Physical examination of the genitals or other parts of the body to look for growths or rashes caused by syphilis
- blood test: can also show if you have had it in the past
- swab test: fluid from the sore
Treatment is antibiotics

Question 17

Genital Herpes

Answer 17

A disease of the genital organs caused by a herpes simplec virus
- highly contagious and easily spread through sexual intercourse and oral-genital sec
–> condoms do not provide full protection

Question 18

Symptoms of genital herpes

Answer 18

Small, painful bumps or blisters around genitals, anus, thights or buttocks
- bumps/blisters typically appear within 2-3 weeks of infection
- usually found on the vaginal lips, penis or anus
Tingling, burning or itching around genitals
Painful urination
In wome, unusual vaginal discharge

Question 19

Treatment for genital herpes

Answer 19

There is no cure
- drugs prevent or reduce recurring symptoms
- cream for the pain

Question 20

Long term consequences of genital herpes

Answer 20

• meningitus
• narrowing of the urethra due to scarring (difficulty with urination)
• increased risk of becoming infected with HIV
• transfer of virus from mother to infant durin childbirth (–> c-section)

Question 21

HIV/AIDS

Answer 21

Human immune deficiency virus (HIV) causes Acquired immuni deficiancy syndrome (AIDS)
- it destroys the body’s natural system of immunity to diseases

Question 22

HIV virus

Answer 22

HIV is one of the retroviruses
- reproduce only in living cells of the host species
- the host cell is invaded and each time it devides, the genetic code of the virus is multiplied
–> HIV invades a group of white blood cells (lymphocytes) called T-helper or T4 cells
- cells critical to the body’s immune response in fighting off infections
- when HIV reproduces, it destroys the infected T-cells

Question 23

HIV infections

Answer 23

HIV is transmitted by the exchange of body fluids: semen, blood, possibly secretions of the cervix and vagina
- sexual intercourse (also anal)
- contaminated blood
- contaminated hypodermic needles
- infected woman to her baby during pregnancy or childbirth

Question 24

HIV staging

Answer 24

The centers for disease control has established the following categorization of HIV infection:
- stage 0: initial infection and development of antibodies to the virus over 2 to 8 weeks; T-cell count remains around 1000
- stage 1: T-cell count drops but is still above 500
- stage 2: T-cell count between 200-499
- stage 3: AIDS; T-cell count below 200

Question 25

HIV diagnosis

Answer 25

Blood test that detects the presence of antibodies to HIV are easy and cheap to perform
- not accurate until after antibodies form, which takes a while
- time from initial infection until a test can detect the antibodies is called the window period and is about 30 days
Other tests detect antigens and antibodies and shorten the window to about 18 days
Laboratory test are more accurate than home tests

Question 26

HIV treatment

Answer 26

No cure; now a manageable long term disease
- prevention PrEP
Treatment aims:
- stops the virus from multiplying, but they cannot repair the immune system
- slows the progression of the disease
- to prevent opporunistic infectioins

Question 27

Recent progress in AIDS research

Answer 27

Working on developing a vaccine
- HIV has many forms and mutates rapidly
- strain may be different from one country to the next
–> people with two copies of a mutation on the CCR5 gene appear to be resistant to HIV infection

Question 28

Viral hepatitis

Answer 28

There are 5 types, but hepatits B is of most interest –> long term can cause serious liver disease involving cirrhosis or cancer
- many adults infected with hep B are asymptomatic
- abdominal pain
- dark urine
- fever
- joint pain
- loss of appetite
- nausea and vomiting
- weakness and fatigue
- yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)

Question 29

Diagnosis of viral hepatitis

Answer 29

• blood tests detect signs of Hep B virus and determine wether it’s acute or chronic
• liver ultrasound: a special ultrasound calles transient elastography can show the amount of liver damage
• Liver biopsy: a small sample of the liver is removed to check for liver damage

Question 30

Treatment and prevention of general hepatitis

Answer 30

Treatment: antiviral treatment
Prevention: vaccine

Question 31

Zika virus

Answer 31

Discovered in rhesus monkeys and in humans
- in Brazil 2015 doctors noticed an unusual number of babies with microcephaly and linked it to ZIKA
- the main risk of catching the disease is from infected mosquitoes via bites
- ZIKA can be spread in bodily fluids
–> practice safe sex for a tleast 6 months to avoid spreading it

Question 32

Trichomoniasis

Answer 32

Caused by the protozoan trichomonas vaginalis
- a form of vaginitis, transmitted mainly through sexual intercourse

Question 33

Symptoms of trichomoniasis

Answer 33

• symptoms usually develop within a month of infection
• up to half of all (wo)men infected with trichomoniasis are asymptomatic, but it is contagious
• in women, it may cause abnormal vaginal discharge or red blothches on the walls of the vagina and on the cervix
• in men, it may cause discharge from the penis

Question 34

Diagnosis and treatment of trichomoniasis

Answer 34

Diagnosis:
- physical examination
- swab test from the vagina or penis
- in men, a urine sample can also be tested
Treatment: antibiotics (metronidazole) taken orally
–> if left untreated: pelvic inflammatory disease, problems with birth, and increased susceptibility to HIV infection

Question 35

Pubic lice

Answer 35

Tiny lice that attach to the base of pubic hairs and feed on blood from their human host
Symptoms:
- itching in the affected areas, especially at night
- inflammation and irritation caused by scratiching
- blue spots or small spots of blood on your skin, such as on your thighs or lower abdomen
Treatment: Nix and Rid

Question 36

Scabies - schurft

Answer 36

Caused by itch-mite
- very infectious, but usually not that serious, but needs treatment
- the rash usually spreads across the whole body - apart from the head
- intense itching, especially during the night
- it can take up to 8 weeks for the rash to appear
Treatment: use of cream or lotiion that you can apply over your whole body
–> everyone in the household needs to be treated at the same time - even if they don’t have symptoms

Question 37

Biological factors for STI

Answer 37

• lack of symptoms makes certain infections easier to spread
• infections that create open sores allow infections to more easily enter and exit the body
• resistance tot treatment or lack of a cure

Question 38

Psychological factors for STI

Answer 38

• use of birth controll may create false feeling of safety of condom use
• stigma and shame of getting tested discourage some people from finding out their status
• people are unrealistically optimistic about their health
• commitment may lead you to view a partner as safe, which reduces the [erceived need for condoms

Question 39

Behavioral factors for STI

Answer 39

• early initiation of intimate sexual activity
• sequential sexual relationships
• concurrent sexual relationships
• high-risk sexual partners
• high-risk sexual behavior
• inconsistent and incorrect condom use
• substance abuse
• sexual coercion
• lack of knowledge or concerns about STI’s