There are two kinds of STDs, viral and bacterial. Viral STDs are incurable; the most common viral STDs are HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, herpes, and HPV. Bacterial STDs are curable. The most common bacterial STDs are gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. We know that this is a real problem because compared to the rest of the population the rise in reported sexual transmitted diseases in older American are higher than the rest of the population. Medicine itself is one of the reasons America is seeing an increase in sexual transmitted diseases for older adults.
There is an increasing number of Americans 45 and older that are getting infected by sexual transmitted diseases (AARP). It is important to know that if you are sexually active you at getting infected by HIV. “Recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have shown that the number of new HIV infections is actually growing faster in individuals over 50 than in people 40 years.” Protecting oneself from STDs is vital no matter what age you are.
The most common STDs are chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, herpes, HIV/AIDS, HPV, and syphilis. There are several common signs that may indicate that you have an STD. For women there can be an unusual discharge or odor from the vagina, pain in the pelvic area, burning or itching around the vagina, unusual bleeding, and/or vaginal pain during intercourse. For men it can be a discharge from the penis. For both men and women there can be sore, bumps and blisters near the mouth or genitals, burning and pain during urination or a bowel movement, flu-like symptoms, including fever, chills, aches, swelling in the groin area, and/or persistent swelling or redness in the throat. If you have any of these symptoms or even suspect that you've been exposed to any STDs, then you should see your health care provider. Bacterial STDs, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis are relatively easy to cure with antibiotics if diagnosed early. Viral STDs such as herpes, HPV, and HIV/AIDS cannot ever be cured though the symptoms can be relieved. But no STDs should be dismissed as harmless. Even a curable STD, if left untreated, will have serious consequences.
Chlamydia is a bacterial STD and can be contracted through vaginal and anal sex. 75% of women and 25% of men are asymptomatic. The symptoms may include abnormal genital discharge and burning during urination. Chlamydia can be cured with antibiotics, but the antibiotics cannot undo the damage done prior to treatment. If left untreated in women, up to 30% will experience pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which often causes ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain. In men, it causes epididymitis, an inflammation of the testicles, which leads to sterility. Infected individuals with Chlamydia are also at a greater risk of contracting HIV. Gonorrhea is a bacterial STD that can be contracted through vaginal, anal, and/or oral sex. Though some cases may be asymptomatic, when symptoms do appear, they are often mild and usually appear within 2-10 days after exposure. The symptoms include discharge from the penis, vagina, or rectum and burning or itching during urination. Gonorrhea can also be treated and cured with antibiotics, but similar to Chlamydia they cannot undo the damage done prior to treatment. If left untreated, gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain. It can also cause sterility in men. In severe cases untreated Gonorrhea can infect the joints, heart valves and/or the brain. Syphilis is a bacterial STD that can be contracted through vaginal, oral, and/ or anal sex. And can be spread by non-sexual contact if the sores, rashes, or mucous patches. The disease can produce painless sores that usually appear on the genitals but can appear anywhere on the body. If untreated, the disease progresses on to other stages of infection, which include a rash, fever, sore throat, hair loss, and swollen glands throughout the body. The disease can be cured with penicillin; however, damage done to the body organs cannot be reversed. If left untreated, syphilis may cause serious damage to the heart, brain, eyes, nervous system, bones, and joints and can lead to death. A person with active syphilis has an increased risk that exposure to HIV will lead to an infection because the sores provide an entry point for the AIDS virus. If left untreated, a pregnant woman will usually transmit the disease to the fetus. Still born and death within the neonatal period occur in 25% of these cases. 40-70% delivers an infant with active syphilis. If undetected damage may occur to the infants' heart, brain, and eyes
Those disease are important to note because tin 2016 there were 82,938 reported cased of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia in Americans 45 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control. “There were 43,409 reported cases of chlamydia among people 45 and older in 2016, up from 38,185 reported cases in 2015 and 26,405 in 2012. Gonorrhea had 33,879 reported cases last year in the same age group, up from 26,005 in 2015 and 16,257 in 2012. For primary and secondary syphilis, 5,650 cases were reported in the age group. That’s up from 4,848 in 2015 and 3,176 in 2012.” The Centers of Disease Control also report that there has been an 20% increase of infected older adults then 2015 and the numbers continues to grow.
Hepatitis B is a viral STD that can be contracted through vaginal, oral and anal sex. Different way of contracting this disease is sharing contaminated drug needles, piercing the skin with contaminated instruments such as those used in dental and medical procedures, and receiving contaminated blood through transfusions. About 1/3 of people with Hepatitis B are asymptomatic. When symptoms are present, they include fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. Symptoms of liver involvement include dark urine, abdominal pain, and yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. Some individuals become chronically infected; for those people, the disease can lead to future problems like cirrhosis, liver disorders, and immune system disorders. Genital Herpes is another viral sexual transmitted disease. Herpes is spread by direct sexual skin-to-skin contact with the infected site during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Another strain of the virus, Herpes Simplex Type 1 is most commonly spread by non-sexual contact and usually causes sore on the lips. All though you can contract Herpes Simplex Type 1 can also be transmitted through oral sex and can cause genital infections. The symptoms are often mild and may include an itching or burning sensation, pain in the legs, buttocks, or genital area, or vaginal discharge. Blisters or painful open sores may appear usually in the genital area, buttocks, anus, and thighs, and they can erupt as while. Sores will heal after several weeks but may reoccur. There is no known cure, but an anti-viral drug is usually effective in reducing the frequency and duration of type 2 outbreaks. An infected person with sores present has an increased risk that exposure to HIV infection. That is because the sore provides an entry point for the AIDS virus. Women who develop a first episode of genital herpes during pregnancy may be at higher risk for premature delivery. Outbreaks present during delivery usually indicate the need for a cesarean delivery because infection passed to the newborn during childbirth may result in possible death or serious brain damage.
In the 1980 when HIV/AIDS was first discovered, education on safe sex and STDs prevention was prominent. Put that education was only push on the youth, so if you were married, middle age or and older adult the importance of safe sex was never fully delivered to them. HIV/AIDS is a viral STD that can be contracted through vaginal, oral, and especially anal sex; infected blood or blood products, sharing needles with an infected person and from infected mother to infant in utero, during birth, and/or while breastfeeding. Some people experience no symptoms when first infected. Others have flu-like symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes. The symptoms usually disappear within a week to a month, and the virus can remain dormant for years. However, the infection will continue to weaken the immune system, leaving the individual increasingly unable to fight opportunistic infections. There is no known cure, but todays antiviral drugs are used to prolong the life and health of the infected person. Other treatments are used to combat opportunistic infections. Virtually everyone who becomes infected with HIV will eventually develop AIDS and will die of AIDS-related complications. 20-30% of infants born to infected mothers is HIV infected and develops symptoms of AIDS within one year after birth. Of these babies, 20% die by the time they are 18 months old. Antiviral drugs given during pregnancy can greatly reduce the risk to the fetus contracting HIV. Human papillomavirus infection (HPV) or genital warts, as its most commonly known, is a viral STD and can be contracted through vaginal, anal, or sex. The symptoms are painless fleshy, cauliflower-like warts that develop on and inside the genitals, anus, and throat. There is no known cure but chemicals, freezing, laser therapy and surgery can suppress the warts. Some strains of the virus are strongly associated with cervical cancer as well as cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis and anus. Infants exposed to the virus in the birth canal can develop warts in the throat, which can obstruct the airway and must be removed.
Methods of protecting yourself from STDs are abstinence, practicing safer sexual behaviors, and enjoy sexual activities without actually have sexually intercourse. Abstinence is when you voluntarily refrain from engaging in sexual activity. For some people this may mean not having sexual intercourse but for others it may mean not having genital contact. You can also practice safer sex. You can do this by always using a latex condom and spermicide for anal and vaginal intercourse, always use a latex barrier (condom or dental dam) for oral-genital sex, limit your number of sexual partners, avoid sexual contact until you and your partner(s) have been tested for pre-existing STDs. Do not rely upon your partner to know the sexual history of all his or her partners or to tell the truth about their sexual history. Before you have sex, look closely for any signs of an STD, if you or a partner was ever infected with a viral STD avoid unprotected