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Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), once called venereal diseases, are
among the most common infectious diseases in the United States today. More
than 20 STDs have now been identified, and they affect more than 13 million
men and women in this country each year. The annual comprehensive cost of
STDs in the United States is estimated to be well in excess of $10 billion.
Understanding the basic facts about STDs – the ways in which they are
spread, their common symptoms, and how they can be treated– is the first
step toward prevention. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health, has prepared
a series of fact sheets about STDs to provide this important information.
Research investigators supported by NIAID are looking for better methods of
diagnosis and more effective treatments, as well as for vaccines and topical
microbicides to prevent STDs. |
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It is important to understand at least five key points about all STDs in this
country today:
- STDs affect men and women of all backgrounds and economic levels. They are
most prevalent among teenagers and young adults. Nearly two-thirds of all STDs
occur in people younger than 25 years of age.
- The incidence of STDs is rising, in part because in the last few decades,
young people have become sexually active earlier yet are marrying later. In
addition, divorce is more common. The net result is that sexually active
people today are more likely to have multiple sex partners during their lives
and are potentially at risk for developing STDs.
- Most of the time, STDs cause no symptoms, particularly in women. When and
if symptoms develop, they may be confused with those of other diseases not
transmitted through sexual contact. Even when an STD causes no symptoms,
however, a person who is infected may be able to pass the disease on to a sex
partner. That is why many doctors recommend periodic testing or screening for
people who have more than one sex partner.
- Health problems caused by STDs tend to be more severe and more frequent
for women than for men, in part because the frequency of asymptomatic
infection means that many women do not seek care until serious problems have
developed.
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Some STDs can spread into the uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes to cause
pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which in turn is a major cause of both
infertility and ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. The latter can be fatal. |
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STDs in women also may be associated with cervical cancer. One STD,
human papillomavirus infection (HPV), causes genital warts and cervical and
other genital cancers. |
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STDs can be passed from a mother to her baby before, during, or
immediately after birth; some of these infections of the newborn can be
cured easily, but others may cause a baby to be permanently disabled or even
die. |
- When diagnosed and treated early, many STDs can be treated effectively.
Some infections have become resistant to the drugs used to treat them and now
require newer types of antibiotics. Experts believe that having STDs other
than AIDS increases one's risk for becoming infected with the AIDS virus.
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Dmitry
Khasak, M.D.
Board-Certified Dermatologist and a member of the Intense Pulsed Light
Education Institute, and the American Academy of Dermatology.
Graduated from Columbia
Presbyterian Hospital in New York and Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.
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