Sexually Transmitted Diseases And Treatment

[Croat]

The first step after returning is a visit to the doctor after you have discovered something unpleasant, and then convinced your partner that it was something you caught in a swimming pool or on a toilet seat. If you have managed to save your relationship or marriage, you must go through hours of talks to strengthen your troubled relationship. However, can this scenario be avoided? Of course it can, if you abide by a few rules. Regardless of how hot the situation is, or how much alcohol was drunk, you must always carry protection with you in order to avoid numerous sexually transmitted diseases, and by using protection, you are protecting yourself and your partner. Unfortunately, condoms often break during sex, and in order to avoid that, you should do the following:

- keep the condom away from heat eg, in the sun or similar

- before use, squeeze the air out of the tip of the condom

- if sex lasts longer, it is recommended to replace it, because it dries out, which is also the main reason of it breaking

- of course, do not use condoms more than once

Condoms protect from most sexually transmitted diseases, and it is necessary to use it as the main form of protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STD). STDs are amongst the group which cause the greatest discomfort with most people, even by only thinking about them, not to mention losing your nerves whilst waiting for test results. What makes things easier, especially for men, is that painful and uncomfortable wipes are no longer needed, because there are new methods which prove the causes of disease. In order to get a STD, you need to have sex, during which there is significant damage to the skin, so that the causes of disease can enter the organism. The most common causes of STDs are bacteria, fungi and viruses. With some causes, no sexual contact is needed, and it can be caught in another way, like in a swimming pool, Jacuzzi or similar, where there is a great concentration of people, and the poor disinfection of the water. This problem is most relevant to women, who most commonly get a yeast infection or trichomonas vaginalis. Smaller children are commonly hit by infectious warts, which spread quickly, and are hard to remove. This is a typical children’s disease, whilst with adults, it is a STD which can be caught when coming into contact with children. When we look at this, it is hard to define STDs. Swimming in a pool or coming into contact with children can cause some of these diseases.

WHICH ARE STDs?

Gonorrhea is exclusively a STD, which causes a thick pus to leak from the urethra. Syphilis most often shows itself as a wound, at the place of entry of the causes of disease, in the skin or mucous membranes, which heals itself after some time, and then spreads throughout the body. Limfogranuloma venerum effects the lymph nodes, usually in the groin area, which grow, and empty themselves on the surface of the skin. Luckily these diseases are rare in Croatia. AIDS, besides being transmitted through intercourse, is also most often transmitted by blood. The chances of getting AIDS if you have sex with an infected person is 1:1000. Hepatitis is transmitted in the same way, however, intercourse with an infected person always gives you the disease. A very dangerous and unnoticeable disease is in question, which destroys the liver for a long time, often without any signs. The most frequent diseases that we get are yeast infections (Candidiasis), trihomonas vaginalis, urethritis, and HPV infections. With infections related to Candidiasis and trihomonas, the first signs are itching and irritation of the genitals, sometimes accompanied with discharge. Urethritis is an infection of the urethra, most commonly caused by Chlamydia, and is accompanied by discharge and itching, but most commonly pass with no signs. Infections linked to Chlamydia are the most dangerous, because they cause infertility in both men and women. Infections with herpes can also be very painful, and can repeat themselves. Unfortunately, the most common is the HPV infection, and it is considered that a very small number of people in the world are not infected. The causes of disease are viruses from the HPV group of infections, and until today, 140 various types have been discovered. The most dangerous are types 16 and 18, because they cause cervical cancer. The main method of transfer is classic sex, whilst it sometimes occurs during oral sex, or if you have warts on your fingers and touch genitals with them. It is possible to transfer them during childbirth, from the mother to child, and with men is has been known to cause cancer of the penis. Most often it shows itself as growths such as warts. It has been proved that HPV causes cancer of the oral mucous membranes, that is, the upper respiratory pathways and tonsils, and the main method of transfer is oral sex or at childbirth. HPV infections can infect the upper respiratory system, tonsils and lungs. The big news in prevention is a vaccine, and should become standard for girls. Results up until now are very encouraging.

HOW ARE STDs TREATED?

Bacterial infections are successfully treated with antibiotics (gonorrhea, syphilis, urethritis and trihomonas), whilst candidiasis (yeast infections) are treated with anti-fungal substances. The biggest problem is viral infections, and for hepatitis special injections or tablets are given.

With AIDS, a whole group of medicine exists, and they are being discovered every day, are are becoming more successful. Infectious warts need to by physically removed. HPV infection prove to be a real challenge, because they often return. The main method up until now was based on physical destruction, and this was achieved by freezing, burning with electricity, operations and scraping.

The drawbacks to the described methods are pain, and the possibility of developing scars. A new item in treating this is imiquimod creams, which strengthen the immune system, and in that way remove the HPV infection. Interferon acts in a similar way. Laser has been giving promising results, because the treatment is not painful, or uncomfortable, and it gives great results with a significantly smaller number of treatments needed, unlike the other methods.