Inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary sphere in women can be caused not only by bacteria, but also by protozoa. Such an example may be trichomoniasis , which is caused by the simplest class of flagella-the vaginal trichomonas.
Trichomoniasis in women: symptoms and causes of development
Trichomonas lives in the genitourinary tract of men and women. Infection occurs during sexual contact, the source of infection is a patient or a carrier of trichomonads. Very rarely, infection through underwear and hygiene items is possible, but the trichomonas do not survive outside the human body, therefore the sexual mechanism remains the main mechanism of transmission. The incubation period can be from 3 days to a month, an average of 10-15 days.
Classification of Trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis according to the clinical course is divided into:
- fresh (lasts up to 2 months), its subspecies - acute, subacute and torpid;
- chronic (with the course of the disease for more than 2 months with periods of exacerbation and remission), often its cause is an acute process with improper treatment;
- asymptomatic carriage of trichomoniasis.
Urogenital trichomoniasis - symptoms
The first symptoms of acute trichomoniasis are discharge from the genital tract. This early and very characteristic symptoms of trichomoniasis in both women and men appear in more than 50% of patients. The discharge is foamy (distinctive feature), yellow or with a different shade of yellow. They appear in large numbers, with an unpleasant smell.
Symptoms of inflammation of the genitourinary system also depend on which organs are affected by trichomoniasis. If trichomonads affect the urethra, then the frequent symptoms of the disease in women - pain and pain when urinating, increased urge to urinate. Pain also increases with sexual intercourse, causing discomfort. There are also dull, aching pains in the lower abdomen, which are given in the back and often occur when the vagina is affected.
In addition to pain, another common symptom is severe itching and burning in the genitals and skin around them. The skin and mucous membranes of the vulva are swollen, much reddened, but the vaginal mucosa and cervix often remain unchanged. Through the cervix and its slimy cork in the uterine cavity usually trichomonads do not fall. But when the cervix is opened (during childbirth, abortion, or during menstruation), the pathogen can enter the uterus, causing inflammatory diseases in its cavity ( endometritis ), and spreading to the tubes - their inflammation and impaired patency (salpingitis).
The causative agent of trichomoniasis can not only cause the inflammatory process itself, gonococci often enter it inside, which are released in the body of a woman and become the causative agent of gonorrhea, which can cause the symptoms of both diseases.
Chronic trichomoniasis in women - symptoms
With prolonged sluggish course of the disease and improper treatment of it, trichomoniasis can last more than 2 months, turning into chronic.
Such exacerbations can cause various accompanying factors: hypothermia, stress, violations of hygiene rules, diseases that reduce the woman's immunity. During the remission of symptoms, trichomoniasis is not observed and, just as with carrier, can only occasionally be detected in laboratory tests. The main method of diagnosing the disease remains a vaginal swab, which can identify the pathogen. But, if necessary, can assign and other, more accurate examinations (PRC diagnostics).