chlamydia infection in women
Last reviewed 06/2021
Chlamydia is the most prevalent STD in the western world. In over 70% of cases women with this disease are asymptomatic (1).
Presentation:
- vaginal discharge in 30%
- women may present with pyuria, dysuria and a negative bacterial culture
- postcoital or intermenstrual bleeding
- mucopurulent cervical discharge
- inflamed or friable cervix which may bleed on contact
- deep dyspareunia
- reactive arthritis in sexually active (1)
- pelvic inflammatory disease
Investigations:
- endocervical swab for ELISA is a sensitive test
- cell culture - expensive and difficult to culture
- DNA amplification techniques of polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and ligase chain reaction reaction on first-catch urine specimens are acceptable to patients and are non-invasive
Reference:
management of chlamydia infection