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Trichomoniasis (“trich” or the ping pong disease) is a parasitical
sexually transmitted disease caused by the parasite Trichomonas
vaginalis
that affects both men and women. It can be transmitted from one
person to another via sexual contact. It can also be transmitted
from mother to child during birth and the infection may persist up
to 1 year. Approximately 2 to 17% of female offspring of infected
women acquire infection.
Trichomoniasis is most common in
young sexually active women. In the United States there are
approximately 5 million new cases reported annually.
The World Health Organization estimates that 180
million new cases of trichomoniasis occur each year all over the
world.
Trichomoniasis is commonly
associated with co-infection with other STDs, especially
Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Trichomoniasis has an incubation period ranging between 4 up to 28
days.
In females, vaginitis is the most
common manifestation of infection. Other symptoms include
a heavy, yellow-green or gray vaginal discharge,
discomfort during intercourse, vaginal odor, and painful urination.
Irritation and itching of the female genital area, and on rare
occasions, lower abdominal pain also can be present. In about
two-thirds of infected females, there is edema, inflammation, cell
hypertrophy and metaplasia (the
change in the type of adult cells in a tissue to a form abnormal for
that tissue).
Men are usually asymptomatic. When
they present symptoms these include a thin,
whitish discharge from the penis,
mild burning
after urination or ejaculation, painful or difficult urination,
inflammation of the prostate gland, pain and inflammation of the
scrotum, intermittent frothy or pus-like discharge from the urethra
(the canal through which urine and semen are discharged), usually
early in the morning.
TREATMENT
Trichomoniasis is treated with antibiotics.
Metronidazole is commonly used.
It is usually administered in a single
dose. When taking metronidazole you should avoid alcohol immediately
after treatment, because a chemical reaction causing nausea and
vomiting can result. Side effects include nausea, headache, and
abdominal cramping. Seizures and neurological damage have been
reported in some people taking metronidazole, though these cases are
rare. Pregnant women should consult a physician before taking
metronidazole.
Both sexual
partners should be considered infected and treated at the same time,
even if one has no symptoms.
COMPLICATIONS
Left
untreated, trichomoniasis can increase the risk of contracting HIV.
Infection with trichomoniasis during pregnancy may cause a woman to
deliver a low-birth-weight or premature infant.
PREVENTION
As with other
STDs the surest way to avoid becoming infected with Trichomoniasis
is to refrain from sex.
Barring total abstinence, condoms remain the best
and most reliable protection against this and other
sexually-transmitted diseases if used consistently and correctly.
Other barrier methods of birth control, like the sponge or the
cervical cap, do not provide protection from STDs.
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