Chlamydia Infection, Its Diagnosis and Treatment

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Table of Contents

Signs and Symptoms
Impact on the Patient’s Lifestyle
Conclusion
References

This article is a case study of a 20-year-old female patient who presented herself with an abnormal vaginal discharge with a foul smell. The patient reported having multiple sex partners and a sexually active lifestyle since the age of 14 years. The disease was established to be chlamydia. Chlamydia is a type of sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a bacterium referred to as Chlamydia trachomatis (Schuiling & Likis, 2013). It is, sometimes, referred to as a silent infection because infected people rarely realize that they are infected. It is mainly transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected person, whether oral, anal, or vaginal (Tharpe, Farley, & Jordan, 2013).

Signs and Symptoms

Consistent with STI

The patient reported abnormal vaginal discharge that was characterized by a foul smell. The patient also reported an irritating sensation during urination, vaginal bleeding following sexual intercourse, regular bleeding in between menstrual periods, and the presence of a swelling in the vagina.

Inconsistent with STI

The patient reported experiencing pains in the abdomen, mild fevers, and an urge for frequent urination.

Patient Notification

The patient was first notified of the fact that chlamydia is a common STI infection that can be cured. She was also informed that the asymptomatic nature of the disease may make it impossible for her to notice an infected person, thereby making the infections more common. As I made the patient aware of the condition, I was also quick to let her know that the case was treatable and that I had designed a plan that would encourage her to recover fully from the disease and protect her from further infections.

The response of the patient revealed lots of disappointment and a lack of satisfaction. It was obvious she did not expect an STI infection. However, the information that the condition was fully manageable restored the hope of the patient.

Impact on the Patient’s Lifestyle

Short-term Impacts

Short-term impacts on the patient include financial strains as the patient struggles to meet the financial needs of the treatment program. Other effects include reduced and poor sexual lifestyle, societal rejection, and abuse owing to the nature of the infection and associated characteristics, poor health and associated pain, reduced self-esteem, and self-denial and suicidal thoughts.

Long-term Impacts

Long-term impacts are mainly the health risks associated with chlamydia. The woman may become infertile. If she gets pregnant, then there is a high possibility of developing recurrent ectopic pregnancies (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). There is also a possibility of the mother transmitting the disease to the unborn baby. Finally, there is a lifetime increased risk of developing cervical cancer, as well as HIV co-infection (Chlamydia fact sheet, 2011).

Treatment

Chlamydia, being a bacterial infection, is easily and routinely treated with antibiotics. Azithromycin, Erythromycin, Levofloxacin, Ofloxacin, and Doxycycline are the commonly used antibiotics in the management of the disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Whichever the drug one uses, there is a need for complete adherence to the treatment as prescribed to ensure a full recovery. It is important to ensure one is not involved in sexual activity during the treatment period (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). One gram of Azithromycin was administered orally in a single dose to this particular patient. Since exposure to the disease would result in a re-infection, a follow-up involving regularly scheduled hospital visits was made to confirm adherence and conformity to lifestyle modifications that were recommended. The recommendations included the use of protection during sexual intercourse and testing the sexual partners.

Conclusion

Chlamydia is one of the common STIs. It is mostly undetected, until the later stages of the disease because it rarely develops identifiable signs and symptoms. Chlamydia is easily treatable following its accurate diagnosis. However, care should be taken when notifying the patient about the outcome due to the detrimental nature of STI infections. Follow-up should be performed to ensure a full recovery and avoidance of re-infection cases.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Women’s health. Web.

Chlamydial Infection. (2015). sexually transmitted infections treatment Guidelines: Chlamydial infections. Web.

Chlamydia fact sheet. (2011). Web.

Schuiling, K. D., & Likis, F. E. (2013). Women’s gynecologic health (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Tharpe, N. L., Farley, C., & Jordan, R. G. (2013). Clinical practice guidelines for midwifery &Women’s health (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH). Web.

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