Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a group of infectious diseases that can be acquired if you have sex with someone who has them. They are generally transmitted during intercourse, but they can also be spread through other types of relationships. Contagion occurs when two people put an infected mucous membrane in contact with a healthy one. It can also come if a wound on the recipient’s skin comes in contact with the infected mucous membrane.
The main routes of transmission are the mucous membranes of the mouth, the genital organs and the anus, because their tissues have the ideal conditions, of humidity and heat, for the infection to develop and transfer.
The risk of getting one of these infections increases if a prevention method is not used. Currently, the condom is the only contraceptive that prevents them, so if the sexual history of the person with whom they are having relations is not known, the absence of risk of contagion, as long as there is vaginal, anal or vaginal contact. oral, it passes inescapably by the use of a condom.
Unlike other infections, STIs, once suffered, do not generate immunity and there are also no vaccines with which to deal with them, so the same sexually transmitted infection can repeatedly affect a patient.
Some can cause serious and permanent injury, such as blindness, infertility, or psychological distress, in this case get an appointment from Stigma Health experts. It is, therefore, important to know them in order to be able to detect their presence as soon as possible and treat them early. According to recent surveys carried out in several countries, the incidence of STIs is highest among women under 20 years of age.
In general, adolescent men and women are at higher risk of contracting them and this is explained by the presence of both biological factors (immaturity of the female genital tract and thinner vaginal mucosa), and behavioral factors (greater number of different partners in these ages, lack of knowledge about HIV-AIDS infection and other STIs or little use of preventive measures). The age of risk varies according to the different societies. The little sexual information and the ignorance of its symptoms, which are often difficult to detect, make these infections spread easily. To this is added that sometimes the symptoms are hidden, out of shame and fear of being considered obscene and reprehensible behavior.
In terms of figures, the WHO estimates that, worldwide, in 1999 there were 340 million new cases of four types of curable STIs in men and women aged 15 to 49 years: syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis
There are no statistics on the number of people affected by STIs in world. The data that are known are obtained by the obligation of the doctors to declare the figures of some of these infections. The National Epidemiological Surveillance Network reports that 1,069 cases of gonococcal infection and 917 of syphilis were reported in 2003 (representing rates per 100,000 inhabitants of 2.55 for gonorrhea and 2.19 for syphilis). In the analysis of the data in the period 1995-2003, a marked decrease in the incidence of gonococcal infection (-78%) and syphilis (-15%) was observed. However, there is a recent increase in the incidence of both infections that slows the downward trend that had been observed since 1995. But there is a well-founded suspicion that the incidence of STIs in Spain is much higher than these data show. The most common infection is due to the Human Papilloma Virus, closely related to cervical cancer, the second malignant neoplasm that causes the most deaths among women worldwide. Among the STDs produced by bacteria, the one with the highest incidence is Chlamydia infection.
The microorganisms that cause STIs can be bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Some STIs show no signs or symptoms, and if they do, they are unclear, so they can be confused with other conditions; This makes diagnosis difficult and treatment delays, thus facilitating its dissemination.