Got Sexually Transmitted Diseases?

The most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States is

a. Human papilloma virus (HPV)
b. Chlamydia
c. HIV
d. Gonorrhea
e. Trichomonas


The correct answer is B. Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States. Each year there are 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S. Chlamydia, HPV and trichomonas account for 88% of these infections.

The danger of chlamydia is that it may not cause any symptoms. It is asymptomatic in 80 percent of women and in 50 percent of men who have an active infection. If there are symptoms - burning, itching - they may go away on their own while the bacteria remains in the body. If left untreated Chlamydia may lead to several complications. In women it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is a condition in which the bacteria travel up the vagina to the uterus and to the fallopian tubes causing scarring, chronic pelvic pain and sterility. In men it can cause prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate), urethral scarring and infertility.

Chlamydia can be detected by a urine test in men and women or during a pap test in women. It is recommended for all sexually active women under 25 to be screened for chlamydia annually. If the patient is African-American then a screening for gonorrhea is also recommended.

Once detected chlamydia is easily treated with antibiotics - doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for 7 days or azithromycin 1 gram once. The partner of the patient must also be treated. In fact according to new guidelines it is advised for the doctor to give extra doses of antibiotics to the patient so that he or she could distribute it to the partner. This is one of the few exceptions in medicine when a doctor may prescribe a medication without seeing the patient. The rationale for this strategy is that it will increase cure rate.

All infected individuals should be re-screened in 3 months after treatment.

Ideally of course it would be best for each person to be have an STD screening before having sex with a new partner. If you are intimate enough to have sex then you should be comfortable enough to have the STD discussion. If you do not have a regular doctor, the test may be obtained at any planned parenthood or county facility.

If you have any STD related questions, you can email Dr. Jeffrey Klausner at Ask Dr. K. Another resource is SEXINFO, a texting service from the San Francisco Department of Health.