New Chlamydia Screening Guidelines
ROUTINE SCREENING FOR CHLAMYDIA--the most common sexually transmitted bacterial
infection--IS NOW RECOMMENDED FOR ALL SEXUALLY ACTIVE WOMEN under AGE 25
AS WELL AS ALL PREGNANT WOMEN. [PREVIOUS GUIDELINES COVERED ONLY
WOMEN UNDER AGE 20.]
According to Dr. Janet Allan, Vice-Chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task
Force (and Professor and Dean, School of Nursing, University of Texas Health
Sciences Center at San Antonio)
OLDER WOMEN AT INCREASED
RISK OF THIS SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE SHOULD ALSO TALK TO THEIR PHYSICIANS
ABOUT TESTING.
Dr. Janet Allan: "Chlamydia is a silent disease...until you get the complications;
so that, somewhere between 70 and 90 percent of men and women with chlamydia
have no symptoms. We didn't make recommendations for men, but for women out
there, you may have chlamydia and don't know it."
COMPLICATIONS OF CHLAMYDIA CAN BE SEVERE in women: they include pelvic inflammatory
disease or PID, infertility, chronic pain, or a tubal pregnancy. [Infants born
to infected mothers can also have severe complications. ]
Dr. Janet Allan: "The real take-home message is this is a silent disease
but it's easy to diagnose, it's easy to treat; women, if they fit this risk
profile, should please go to their provider or go to a family planning clinic
or an STD clinic and ask to be screened."
For more information, click here.
Created: 6/5/2001  - Donnica Moore, M.D.