by Laura Powledge
News ReporterAccording to the City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services, 20,000 people in Houston were treated for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis alone in 1994; 63 percent of those treated were under 24 years of age.
Cases of these three imminent sexually transmitted diseases are increasing, according to the HDHHS Division of Community and Personal Health Services.
The early signs of syphilis are sometimes missed. A chancre, which is a painless ulcer, usually appears on the body where there has been sexual contact with someone with the disease. The sore is usually painless and stays from two days to several weeks and then disappears. However, the infection is not gone.
"Secondary symptoms include skin rashes of different kinds with mucous patches," said Dr. Perry Fulcher, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. "The tertiary stage includes significant skin lesions. At this stage, the heart and central nervous system can be affected."
Syphilis can be diagnosed from a blood test and is treated with antibiotic medication. Advanced stages may require intravenous antibiotics.
Gonorrhea's symptoms include vaginal or penile discharge and pain during urination. For women, however, the infection is often asymptomatic. Because it is a bacterial infection, treatment consists of penicillin or other antibiotics.
If left untreated, gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women, sterility, arthritis, dermatitis and meningitis.
According to the HDHHS, Gonorrhea infected more than 7,300 Houstonians in 1994. The 1995 report has not yet been released.
Chlamydia infects more Houstonians than any other sexually transmitted disease. In 1994, more than 9,300 people were infected. This is a 13 percent increase from 1993.
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that can be treated with tetracycline or erythromycin.
Its symptoms include pain during urination, vaginal and penile discharge and abdominal discomfort in women. Most women, however, experience no symptoms. If left untreated, chlamydia can cause PID and eventual
sterility.
More than 58 percent of Houstonians infected with these sexually transmitted diseases are African-Americans.
"The best policy for dealing with sexually transmitted diseases is prevention," Fulcher said. "This includes abstaining from sexual activity, having a mutually monogamous relationship and/or educating oneself about these diseases."
The only other prevention is the use of latex condoms, which most health-care providers believe to be somewhat protective. Condoms are not 100 percent guaranteed, because of breakage, improper use or ineffectiveness.
"Early detection and treatment of a sexually transmitted disease prevents future health complications of infected individuals and further spread of the disease," Fulcher said.
He said if individuals are not monogamous, they should get a physical exam more often than the recommended yearly check-up, especially if they suspect they have been infected by a partner.