Introduction
Chlamydia is a bacterial species that can cause many different diseases. Although many people know chlamydia infection as a typical sexually transmitted disease, chlamydia can also cause many other symptoms. Depending on the subspecies of the bacterium, it can cause infections of the upper respiratory tract and lungs or diseases of the genital area and sexual organs.
The eyes can also be affected by a chlamydia infection. Since the various chlamydia species can survive in very different regions of the human body, their transmission routes also differ from each other. While some chlamydia are transmitted by droplet infection and coughing, others are sexually transmitted. Depending on which organ system is affected by the infection, different consequences can occur. In general, the complication of a chlamydia infection is chronic inflammation of the affected organs.
These can be consequences of a Chlamydia infection
Eye infection Blindness Infection of the genital tract In women: Uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries Adhesions and infertility In men: inflammation of the epididymis and the prostate Infertility Chronic infections with adhesions Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome: inflammatory adhesions of the liver capsule Infections of the respiratory tract Inflammation of the throat, sinuses and nasal sinuses Pneumonia Extensive information on the symptoms of a Chlamydia infection can be found on our main page “Chlamydia infection – All important information at a glance”. – Eye infection Blindness
- Blindness
- Infection of the genital tract In women: Uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries adhesions and infertility In men: inflammation of the epididymis and prostate infertility Chronic infections with adhesions Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome: inflammatory adhesions of the liver capsule
- With women: Uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries adhesions and infertility
- Bonding and infertility
- In men: inflammation of the epididymis and prostate infertility
- Infertility
- Chronic infections with adhesions
- Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome: inflammatory adhesions of the liver capsule
- Infections of the respiratory tract Pharyngitis, sinusitis Pneumonia
- Pharyngitis, sinusitis
- Pneumonia
- Blindness
- With women: Uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries adhesions and infertility
- Bonding and infertility
- In men: inflammation of the epididymis and prostate infertility
- Infertility
- Chronic infections with adhesions
- Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome: inflammatory adhesions of the liver capsule
- Bonding and infertility
- Infertility
- Pharyngitis, sinusitis
- Pneumonia
Chlamydia infection is tragic because, among other things, it is usually asymptomatic in both men and women. Nevertheless, it can cause serious damage, such as infertility.
Infertility after chlamydia infection is transmitted by those bacterial species that cause diseases of the sexual organs and genital tract. For example, the Chlamydia trachomatis strain can cause infection of the following genital organs: Due to the variety of Chlamydia infections, both men and women can become infertile due to the Chlamydia infection. In men, the infection of the epididymis and prostate gland plays a role in the development of infertility.
A chronic infection either prevents sperm from being produced properly or causes the sperm duct to become sticky as a result of the chlamydia infection. This can lead to infertility or reduced fertility in the man. In women, infertility as a result of chlamydia infection often results in chronic inflammation and adhesions of the ovaries.
The fallopian tubes can also be affected by the infection and become sticky due to the inflammation – this prevents the egg from migrating into the uterus if the ovaries are intact. As a result, the woman becomes infertile. Since Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted pathogen, both partners in a partnership may become ill, making an unfulfilled desire for children more likely.
- Urethra
- Epididymis
- Prostate
- Uterus
- Ovaries
It is not possible to determine an exact time for the duration of the disease from chlamydia to infertility, as it depends on many individual physical factors. For example, there are people who fall ill with a chlamydia infection and can become free of infection again through the work of their immune system. The infection therefore heals without any therapy.
However, antibiotic therapy with doxycycline is in most cases much more effective. The longer the chlamydia infection persists, the more likely infertility as a result of the infection becomes. For this reason, it is advisable to treat the affected person as early as possible and preferably also the current sexual partner.
Respiratory diseases are caused by other chlamydial strains. A distinction is made between Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia psittaci. As the name suggests, an infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae can lead to pneumonia (= pneumonia).
In most cases, the inflammation of the upper airways occurs first. Then the lungs are also affected by the infection. In most cases Chlamydia pneumoniae causes a so-called atypical pneumonia.
In contrast to the typical pneumonia, there is usually not such a strong increase in fever, the symptoms are more like a flu-like infection. The cough is also rather unproductive, so no mucus is coughed up. Chlamydia psittaci can also cause pneumonia.
This subspecies is a bacterium that typically occurs in different birds (hence the name “psittaci” = parrot disease). Infection with Chlamydia psittaci is therefore an occupational disease and affects particularly frequently occupational groups that work with birds. Here too, the course of the disease can vary greatly, and often an atypical pneumonia also occurs.
The therapy of pneumonia caused by different Chlamydia species usually consists of the administration of the antibiotic doxycycline over several weeks (one to three weeks). “. While pharyngitis is most often triggered by viral infections, chlamydial infections can also lead to pharyngitis.
The two Chlamydia species Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia psittaci are mainly transmitted from person to person or from birds to humans by droplet infection and therefore settle first in the mucosa of the nasopharynx. There they can lead to an inflammation of the throat as well as to a cold with a runny nose and possibly to a sinusitis. If the chlamydia infection becomes established, bacteria can get into the deep respiratory tract and into the lungs themselves and thus also cause pneumonia as a result of a pharyngitis caused by the chlamydia infection.
Bowel inflammation is not one of the typical diseases caused by a chlamydia infection. More often, infections of the eyes, genital tract, urinary tract, airways and lungs occur, which have already been described. However, gastrointestinal complaints can often occur as a side effect of antibiotic therapy with doxycycline, which is used as a therapeutic measure in chlamydia infections.
This is then not a gastrointestinal infection in the true sense of the word, but rather an irritation of the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. The symptoms of this irritation disappear as soon as the antibiotic is no longer taken and usually do not leave any permanent damage. An inflammation of the joints (arthritis) is one of the typical late effects of a chlamydia infection.
It most often occurs as a result of infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, which can cause inflammation of the reproductive organs. After the infection of the genital organs and urinary tract has passed, a so-called reactive arthritis develops. During the actual bacterial infection, the immune system forms antibodies that specifically attack the bacteria and thus ensure their elimination.
Since the surface structures that these antibodies attack are very similar to the molecular structures of the joints, they unfortunately also attack the joints and lead to an inflammation of the joints. In most cases, symptoms such as asymmetrically migrating joint pain and fever occur a few days to several weeks after the actual chlamydia infection. Blindness after chlamydia infection can be caused by the subspecies Chlamydia trachomatis.
Both the subspecies Chlamydia trachomatis A to C and the pathogens D to K can become lodged in the eye. Chlamydia trachomatis A-C is transmitted either by flies or directly from person to person and leads to an inflammation of the eye, which can lead to blindness without adequate treatment. In contrast, the pathogens D-K are usually transmitted from the genital area to the eyes.
Therefore, newborns of infected mothers carry an increased risk of eye inflammation due to chlamydial infections. If these are not detected in time, this can lead to early blindness of the child. Chlamydia trachomatis eye infections are treated with antibiotic eye ointments, including Floxal.
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