Men and chlamydia
When men have symptoms, they may experience:
- Pus or watery or milky discharge from the penis;
- Pain or burning feeling while urinating;
- Swollen or tender testicles (orchitis and/or epididymitis).
Recall! 40 - 70 % of infected individuals don't have any symptoms!
These symptoms are like the symptoms of gonorrhea. They are called nongonococcal urethritis (NGU). Men often don't take these symptoms seriously because the symptoms may appear only early in the day and can be very mild.
In women and men, chlamydia may cause the rectum to itch and bleed. It can also result in a discharge and diarrhea (proctitis). If it infects the eyes, chlamydia may cause redness, itching, and a discharge.
There are strains of chlamydia that are responsible for another sexually-transmitted disease, called lymphogranuloma venereum . This disease is seen more commonly in underdeveloped countries but has world-wide distribution. In the United States it is seen more commonly in homosexual men and is a cause of proctitis and colitis (inflammation of the lower intestine).
Chlamydia is frequently associated with a gonococcal infection, therefore anyone diagnosed with a gonorrheal infection should also be tested for chlamydia.
