What is Trichomoniasis? Causes and methods of treatment

What is Trichomoniasis? What are the causes of this disease and how to treat it? These and other questions will be answered below.

basic information

What is Trichomoniasis? This is a sexual infection that causes inflammation of the urogenital system. It manifests itself as signs of proctitis, urethritis, colpitis, cystitis, and also often combined with such genital infections as gonorrhea, chlamydia, mycoplasma, candidiasis and so on.

In the acute stage, this disease is accompanied by abundant discharge from the vagina, itching and burning. These symptoms are typical for women. As for men, they have soreness when urinating.

If there is no correct and adequate treatment, trichomoniasis becomes chronic. In the future this can cause infertility, prostatitis, complicated birth and pregnancy, as well as infant mortality and intrauterine pathology.

Infectious agent

We study further the question what is trichomoniasis. The causative agent of this disease is Trichomonas (vaginal), which is transmitted predominantly through sexual contact.

When this disease develops, the urethra is affected in men, the seminal vesicles, the prostate, as well as the testes and their appendages suffer. In representatives of the weaker sex Trichomonas multiplies in the vagina, the vaginal part of the cervical canal and in the urethra.

Features of the disease

Trichomoniasis in women is more common than in men. At the same time, it affects representatives of the weaker sex of reproductive age (17-35 years), and during childbirth it can infect a newborn baby (approximately 5% of cases). Due to the peculiarities of the structure of the epithelial layer in young children, this disease proceeds in a mild form.

Trichomoniasis in men (photo of the pathogen presented in this article) does not cause obvious symptoms. In this case, they can be carriers of trichomonads and do not experience severe malaise. Such a disease can cause the development of non-gonococcal urethritis, chronic epididymitis and prostatitis, and also contribute to the onset of male infertility.

Trichomoniasis: causes of

Most often, infection with trichomoniasis occurs during sexual intercourse, or rather, if you do not want to use a condom.

Also, the infection can be transmitted by household means, to be exact, through contaminated linen, towels, swimsuits, washcloths and the like.

How do doctors diagnose a disease like trichomoniasis? Infection with this ailment is not rare. Very often trichomoniasis is detected with other pathogens of STIs. In addition, many experts believe that trichomonads can contribute to the development of mastopathy, diabetes, allergies and even some cancers.

How does the disease develop?

So, what is Trichomoniasis? As it was said above, the causative agents of this disease are trichomonads. These are anaerobic unicellular organisms that are widely distributed in nature.

In the patient's body, three types of trichomonas can enter the body : intestinal, oral and vaginal. The latter is the largest, active and pathogenic.

Due to the presence of flagella, Trichomonas are very mobile and active. They are omnivorous and sexless, multiply rapidly, including in the absence of oxygen.

After entering the human body, Trichomonases are fixed in the urogenital system and cause inflammation. Their decay products poison the patient's body and significantly reduce its immunity.

Such parasites can live not only in the genitals, but also in the systemic blood flow of the patient, where they penetrate through the intercellular spaces and lymphatic ways through the enzyme - hyaluronidase.

Trichomonads are well adapted to existence in the human body. According to the experts, they can change their form. They also tend to masquerade as blood cells, which greatly complicates the diagnosis of the disease.

It should be said that microorganisms such as ureaplasmas, gonococci, candida, chlamydia, cytomegalovirus and herpes viruses, getting into the trichomonads, can easily find there protection against the effects of drugs and the immune system of the patient.

Movable Trichomonas often carry other bacteria through the genitourinary system of the patient and his vessels.

Can I get rid of a disease like trichomoniasis? Treatment in women (drugs will be listed below) and men should be treated in a comprehensive manner. It should be noted that getting rid of this disease is completely extremely difficult. This is due to the fact that the non-protein shell of parasites practically does not react to the action of antibiotic agents. It can be destroyed only by special antiprotozoal medicines.

Trichomoniasis: symptoms in women and men

The incubation period of the causative agent of this infection usually lasts from 2 days to 2 months. If the disease occurs in a latent form, then its first signs may appear only a few weeks after infection. As a rule, this occurs when the immune system of a person is not working well or other types of chronic illnesses are aggravated.

Since there is trichomoniasis in men (photo of the pathogen is presented in this article) and women? The clinical manifestations of this disease in both sexes are different. Representatives of the weaker sex speak about the expressed symptomatology, while the "masculine" trichomoniasis exists only in the form of carrier.

Depending on the severity of symptoms and the duration of the disease, trichomoniasis can occur in subacute, acute and chronic forms. The acute stage of trichomoniasis can have symptoms such as:

• Erosion or sores on the mucous membrane of the genitals;
• Foamy extracts of green or yellow color, having an unpleasant odor;
• Irritation and redness of the mucosa of the genitals;
• Dermatitis on the inside of the thighs;
• Itching and burning of the mucous membrane of the genitals;
• Dysuria, discomfort with urination;
• Pain in the lower abdomen;
• Unpleasant sensations during sexual intercourse.

Now you know how trichomoniasis manifests. Symptoms in women (discharge is the main sign of infection), listed above, are intensified before the onset of menstruation.

In childhood, this disease is observed infrequently. In girls, trichomoniasis is transmitted in an imperfect way from a sick mother through household items.

As for men, the disease under consideration proceeds in the form of urethritis and is accompanied by mild itching, mucopurulent discharge, burning after urination or sexual intercourse.

Diagnostics

How should I treat a disease like trichomoniasis? Treatment for women (photos on this topic you can find in this article) and men should be selected by an experienced doctor. Diagnosis of this disease consists in the detection of the pathogen by various methods.

When examining women, doctors identify such signs of inflammation as hyperemia and edema of the vagina and vulva. Also, when performing colposcopy, they may have a "strawberry cervix" sign. It is characterized by reddening of the mucosa with focal and point hemorrhages located on the cervix. Also, the patient has dysplasia of the epithelium and the appearance of atypical cells.

More precisely, trichomoniasis is detected by the following laboratory methods:

• Microbiological or cultural method using artificial nutrient media;
• Microscopy of the material taken;
• PCR-diagnostics;
• Immunological method.

Trichomoniasis in the stronger sex is more difficult to diagnose. This is due to the absence of severe symptoms.

Treatment of illness in women

How to cure trichomoniasis? Treatment for women (drugs, reviews will be presented later) is usually conducted by a gynecologist. The scheme of therapy for any form of this disease is the same (that is, it does not depend on the absence and presence of manifestations). It should be especially noted that the treatment of trichomoniasis is carried out simultaneously in both sexual partners, including with negative analyzes in one of them. Therapy of this disease only in a man or only in a woman is ineffective, since a second infection can occur even after undergoing a full course of treatment.

According to experts, the development of antibodies against Trichomonas does not form a stable immunity. Therefore, after therapy, a person can again become infected with this disease.

Treatment of the disease in question should necessarily be combined with the treatment of other STIs. Therapy of trichomoniasis in pregnant women is determined by the doctor. As a rule, it is carried out only in the second trimester.

Because of the lack of sensitivity in trichomonads to antibiotic drugs, this disease is treated with antiparasitic drugs, or rather, with drugs of the 5-nitroimidazoles group. As such, the following are commonly used: "Ternidazole", "Tinidazole", "Ornidazole", "Metronidazole", "Nimorazole".

Method of treatment in men

How do the representatives of the stronger sex treat trichomoniasis? Treatment in women (drugs were listed above) and men is no different. Both partners are prescribed drugs of the 5-nitroimidazoles group.

It should also be noted that when treating the disease in question, it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol, since all of these drugs cause an antabusopodic syndrome.

Features of therapy and opinion of specialists

According to the doctors' reviews, if trichomoniasis is subacute, then antiprotozoal drugs are used for its treatment. As for the complicated and chronic course of this disease, in this case, stimulating therapy is carried out.

Local and symptomatic treatment is used strictly according to indications.

Also, experts argue that when observing a mixed infection (eg, ureaplasma, chlamydia, cytomegalovirus, gonococcus, candida), together with antiparasitic agents, patients are prescribed an antibiotic.

Complete cure

Trichomoniasis is considered completely cured, if the pathogen is not diagnosed during diagnosis, and clinical symptoms are not observed.

During therapy, sexual contact should be avoided. It is also necessary to inform your partner about the presence of trichomoniasis and other similar ailments.

The result of treatment of the disease in question depends on the normalization of the microflora in the genitourinary system. To this end, women are prescribed a vaccine called "Solco-Trichovac". It is also possible to use immunomodulating drugs.

Very rarely trichomonads show resistance to a certain drug of the 5-nitroimidazoles group. But changing the dosage, changing the drug or the duration of its administration gives a positive result in therapy.