Trichomoniasis: a Sexually Transmitted Infection Essay

Trichomoniasis also known as Trich is a sexually transmitted disease/infection that is caused by the protozoa parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. It is most one of the common and curable sexually transmitted disease in young women between the age of sixteen to thirty-five who are sexually active, but men can contract it and pass it on to their partners. About 3.7 million people have been affected but only about thirty percent of those people show any sign and symptoms. In women it will manifest as vulvovaginitis and manifest as urethritis in men.
Pathophysiological Processes
Trichomonas vaginalis can only survive in human host. Because it can only survive in warm and moist areas of the body it can mostly be found in the vagina and in the female and male urethra, but if untreated can spread to other body parts such as the anus, mouth, and hands. During sex Trich get transmitted from the penis to the vagina or vise versa. In pregnant women Trich is the leading cause of premature birth, low birth weight, and premature rupture of the placenta.
Most people who contract Trich remain asymptomatic for years and don't have any signs or symptoms, they parasite might also come and go. But people who develop symptoms will start to show them in about five to 28 days after they have contacted the disease. In women the sign and symptoms usually include a frothy yellow or green discharge, they might also suffer from itching in the vulva, and when observed by a doctor they might see red patches on the cervix called a strawberry cervix. There might also be vaginal pain while having sex, burning when urinating, and they might also have irritation and inflammation around the opening of the vagina. Men usually won't have any signs or symptoms but when they do it can include discomfort when urinating, irritation and inflammation on the tip of the penis, as well as a discharge.
Treatment and Diagnosis
Because Trich can be mistaken for other STD's, the doctor must give a lab test and examine the vagina and the fluid in the urethra. The doctor will also need to perform other STD tests because if a person has Trich they are more susceptible to other STD's. Trich can be cured with a single an oral medication of either Metronidazole or Tinidazole. When being treated for Trichomoniasis both partners must be treated at the same time and refrain from sex while being treated. In certain cases if the women are being treated and her partner is not, she will contact the disease again.
Conclusion
Trich is the most common and curable STD in the U.S., it affects about three million lives very year. Because the symptoms usually do not manifest it can extremely difficult for a person to know that they are infected. It is most common in women because the parasite prefer to love in warm moist areas like the vagina and urethra. Trish is treated with the oral medication Metronidazole or the gel.