People who have AIDS are very susceptible to many life-threatening diseases and to certain forms of cancer. Transmission of the virus occurs during sexual activity or by the sharing of needles used to inject intravenous drugs.

Symptoms

• Rapid weight loss without known factor

• Extreme fatigue

• Diarrhea for more than one month

• Persistent dry cough, shortness of breath

• Prolonged fever, soaking night sweats, shaking chills

• Loss of appetite

Diagnosis

• A blood  test by your doctor can diagnose AIDS.

Treatment

There is no vaccine for HIV or a cure for AIDS.

Some medications are now available to help treat the symptoms of AIDS patients and allow them to live more comfortably. None of these medicines can keep a person from becoming infected with HIV. None of the treatments can cure AIDS. Prevention is the key.

A type of vaginal infection caused by a parasite that is passed through sexual intercourse.  Women who have trichomoniasis are at a higher risk of infection with other sexually transmitted diseases. It can be cured.

Symptoms

• 50% of affected women may have no symptoms

• Itching and burning may be present

• Vaginal discharge with odor

• Painful intercourse and urination

Treatment:

You and your partner will need to be treated with an antibiotic given to you by your physician.

Both gonorrhea and chlamydia are caused by bacteria. These two diseases often occur at the same time.

Both gonorrhea and chlamydia can occur in the mouth, the genitals, and the rectum. The infections also can appear in the eyes of a newborn. In women, the most common place they grow is the cervix (the opening of the uterus). From there, they also may grow in the urethra (the opening through which urine is passed). Teenaged girls are at greater risk than adults for both of these infections, although they can occur at any age.

Symptoms

• Gonorrhea and chlamydia often have no symptoms.

• Yellow vaginal discharge

• Painful or frequent urination

• Burning or itching in the vaginal area

•  Redness, swelling, or soreness of the vulva

• Pain in the pelvis or abdomen during sex

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding

•  Rectal bleeding, discharge, or pain

Treatment

• Gonorrhea and chlamydia can both be treated with antibiotics.

• It is important to take all of your medicine.

• Your partner must be treated also.

• Avoid sexual contact until both you and your partner have finished treatment.

Both gonorrhea and chlamydia are caused by bacteria. These two diseases often occur at the same time.

Both gonorrhea and chlamydia can occur in the mouth, the genitals, and the rectum. The infections also can appear in the eyes of a newborn. In women, the most common place they grow is the cervix (the opening of the uterus). From there, they also may grow in the urethra (the opening through which urine is passed). Teenaged girls are at greater risk than adults for both of these infections, although they can occur at any age.

Symptoms

• Gonorrhea and chlamydia often have no symptoms.

• Yellow vaginal discharge

• Painful or frequent urination

• Burning or itching in the vaginal area

•  Redness, swelling, or soreness of the vulva

• Pain in the pelvis or abdomen during sex

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding

•  Rectal bleeding, discharge, or pain

Treatment

• Gonorrhea and chlamydia can both be treated with antibiotics.

• It is important to take all of your medicine.

• Your partner must be treated also.

• Avoid sexual contact until both you and your partner have finished treatment.

Symptoms may include painful blisters or open sores in the genital area, which may be preceded by a tingling or burning sensation in the legs, buttocks, or genital region. The herpes sores usually disappear within a few weeks, but the virus remains in the body and the lesions may recur from time to time.

Genital Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) is the most common viral sexually transmitted disease in the United States. Only 5-10% of women of reproductive age report a history of genital herpes, however 25- 30% have the antibodies that cause the virus. This means many people contact the virus and never experience symptoms of the initial infection.  It is spread through direct contact, most often during sexual activity. You may even infect yourself if you touch a sore and then rub or scratch another part of your body. Someone infected with the herpes virus may feel the beginning symptoms of a lesion, such as pain or achiness. Women with HSV may experience recurrences throughout their lives, especially in the 8 to 10 years after the primary infection. This disease is best known for the sores or blisters it causes.

There are two types of the herpes simplex virus:

 l. HSV type I: usually affects body sites above the waist (mouth, eyes, and fingers)

2. HSV type II: Usually involves body sites below the waist, primarily the genital and rectal area.

Genital herpes may be caused by either HSV Types I or II. If oral sex is practiced, remember that “cold sores” are herpes lesions and can be spread to the genital area.

Symptoms

If you get symptoms, they will appear 2-10 days after the HSV enters your body.  A primary bout with genital herpes may last as long as 3 weeks. You may feel like you have the flu.  You may experience fever, chills, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, burning during urination and swollen glands.  You may also have small, fluid-filled blisters on the genitals, buttocks or other areas. 

If you have reoccurring lesions you may feel burning, itching, or tingling near where the virus first entered your body.  You may feel pain in your lower back, buttock, thighs, or knees.  These symptoms are called a prodrome.  Recurrent infections heal quicker, usually within 3-7 days in most cases.  No one is sure why some people have recurrences of herpes.  One trigger seems to be stress, both emotional and physical.

Diagnosis

Your clinician will examine you, and review your history and symptoms and  may obtain discharge form the lesions if they are still present. This discharge is sent to the laboratory to verify and identify the virus.

Treatment

There is no cure for genital herpes. Some comfort measures you may try include:

• Tepid bath with or without the addition of iodine solution

• Unrestrictive clothing

• Medication for pain

There are topical and oral medications that do not cure the infection but can shorten the duration and severity of symptoms and decrease recurrence

If you have recurrent infections taking antiviral medications can greatly reduce the outbreak and in many cases, it can prevent attacks completely.  However, there is no treatment that can cure herpes.  Consult your physician for the appropriate type of treatment for you.

Syphilis occurs in stages. It is more easily spread in some stages than in others. If not treated, syphilis may affect your heart, blood vessels, and nervous system. It can cause brain damage, blindness, paralysis and even death. If syphilis is treated early, it will cause less damage. Syphilis is spread by contact with a chancre. It also can be spread by touching the rash, warts, or infected blood during the second stage of infection. It enters the body through a cut in the skin or mucus membranes.

Symptoms

• Syphilis first appears as a painless sore called a chancre. It lasts 10 days to 6 weeks after contact with the disease. You also may have swollen lymph glands in the groin area.

• If not treated, the next stage begins 1 week to 3 months later when a rash may appear. In most cases, the rash is on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands.

• Flat warts may be seen on the vulva

• The rash goes away in a few weeks or months, but that does not mean the disease is gone. It is still in your body. This is called the latent period. Years later, the disease may return

Diagnosis

In the early stage, your doctor can examine discharge form open sores to see if you have syphilis. A blood test also may be done.

Treatment

Syphilis is treated with antibiotics. If it is caught and treated early, long-term problems can be prevented. Antibiotics should clear up the infection.

Genital warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. Twenty-four million people in the US are infected with HPV.

A person can be infected with HPV but have no warts. The virus can remain in the body for weeks or years without showing any symptoms.

HPV virus has been linked to some types of cancer, including those of the cervix and vulva.

Regular pap tests can help detect early signs of cervical cancer.

The virus is spread form person to person during vaginal, anal or oral sex.  Contact with the genitals, mouth, or rectum can transmit HPV. The virus also can be found in semen.

Diagnosis

Warts that grow in the genital area are called condyloma acuminata. These growths may appear on the outside or inside of the vagina or penis and can spread to nearby skin. They can be pink, red, flesh-colored or brown.

Treatment

HPV cannot be cured, but the warts can be treated. Genital warts can be treated with medication applied to the area by your doctor or surgery to remove them.

Hepatitis B virus is one of a number of viruses that attack and damage the liver. Hepatitis B is passed from person to person by way of infected body fluids. These body fluids include:

• Blood

• Semen

• Vaginal fluids

• Saliva

The virus can be spread through sexual contact or by contact with the blood of an infected person. This may occur during childbirth or by sharing needles used to inject drugs. Hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis can lead to cancer.

Symptoms

• Fatigue

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea

• Jaundice

• Dark urine

• Soreness in the liver

• Muscle aches

Some show no sign of the infection and are called carriers

Carriers can still pass the virus to someone else although they have no symptoms.

Other diseases that may be sexually transmitted include:

• chancroid
• cytomegalovirus infections
• granuloma inguinale (donovanosis)
• lymphogranuloma venereum
• molluscum contagiosum
• pubic lice
• scabies
• vaginal yeast infections

Source: National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases