STDs Part #4 Hepatitis and HIV

The estimated total number of people living in the US with STD is over sixty-five million. Every year, there are approximately fifteen million new STD cases.

Facts About STDs

• 65 million of people living in the US with STD
• 15 million of new STD cases each year
• 2/3 of all STD's occurs in people 25 yrs of age or younger
• one in four new STD cases occur in teenagers
• cervical cancer in women is linked to HPV
• doctors are required to report newly diagnosed STD cases of gonorrhea, syphilis,chlamydia and hepatitis B to state health departments and the CDC
• one in four Americans have genital herpes, 80% of those with herpes are unaware they have it
• at least one in four Americans will contract an STD at some point in their lives
• 15% of all infertile American women are infertile because of tubal damage caused by untreated STD
• 12% of all infertile American men are infertile because of inflammation of the testicles and sterility caused by untreated STD

HEPATITIS

What is it? There are five types of hepatitis -- A through E -- all of which cause inflammation of the liver. Type D affects only those who also have hepatitis B, and hepatitis E is extremely rare in the United States.

How is it contracted?

Type A hepatitis is contracted through anal-oral contact, by coming in contact with the feces of someone with hepatitis A, or by eating or drinking hepatitis A contaminated food or water.

Type B hepatitis can be contracted from infected blood, seminal fluid, vaginal secretions, or contaminated drug needles, including tattoo or body-piercing equipment. It can also be spread from a mother to her newborn.

Type C hepatitis is not easily spread through sex. You're more likely to get it through contact with infected blood, contaminated razors, needles, tattoo and body-piercing equipment, or manicure or pedicure tools that haven't been properly sanitized, and a mother can pass it to her baby during delivery.

Type D hepatitis can be passed through contact with infected blood, contaminated needles, or by sexual contact with an HIV-infected person.

Type E hepatitis is most likely to be transmitted in feces, through oral contact, or in water that's been contaminated.

Incubation Period: Two weeks to five months, although hepatitis C can remain dormant for 10 years before symptoms crop up.

Symptoms: When symptoms are present, they are much the same for all five types of hepatitis: mild flu-like symptoms, light stools, dark urine, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes), fatigue, and fever. Hepatitis A symptoms may also include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

Testing: All types of hepatitis are diagnosed with a blood test.

Treatment: Types A and E hepatitis usually resolve over time. If you're traveling to a country where hepatitis A is prevalent, two doses of a vaccine can prevent the disease. There's no vaccine for hepatitis E. For hepatitis B, anti viral medications may help some patients. But like type A, a vaccine that's given in three doses can prevent the disease in the first place. (In fact, hepatitis B is the only STD that's preventable with a vaccine, according to Planned Parenthood.) For hepatitis C and D, interferon and other drugs may help some patients, but there is no vaccine for either type.

If you are not treated: Because types A and E usually go away over time, neither is likely to lead to chronic disease. Types B and C, however, can lead to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancer if not treated; type D can also result in liver cancer.

 HIV / AIDS

What is it? HIV is the acronym for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, a virus that attacks the body's immune system, leading to full-blown AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). AIDS is devastating because it leaves the body susceptible to life-threatening infections and certain kinds of cancers.

How is it contracted? Through oral, anal, or vaginal sex, and from an HIV-positive mother to her baby. To prevent it, use a condom every time you have sex; find out the sexual history of any new partners, including their HIV status; and don't share needles if you do intravenous drugs. If you're pregnant and are HIV-positive, talk to your doctor about how to prevent passing the virus along to your child.

Incubation Period: Some people develop symptoms shortly after being infected, but for many it takes more than ten years for symptoms to appear.

Symptoms: Most symptoms of AIDS are not caused directly by HIV, but by an infection or other condition brought on by a weakened immune system. These include severe weight loss, fever, headache, night sweats, fatigue, severe diarrhea, shortness of breath, and difficulty swallowing. The symptoms tend to last for weeks or months at a time and do not go away without treatment. In some cases, infections result in death.

Testing: A blood test can tell you if you have HIV. Anyone who is sexually active and unsure of the sexual history or HIV status of their partner(s) should be tested every year.

Treatment: So far, there is no cure for AIDS, but some drug regimens that combine medications such as AZT (Retrovir) with ritonavir or norvir are proving effective at strengthening immunity and keeping infections at bay, thereby prolonging the lives of many AIDS sufferers. Combination drug therapy has benefited many people for years, but it is still unclear how long the drugs will remain effective, especially since effectiveness varies significantly from person to person.

The drugs must also be taken in large quantities, usually on a daily basis, and there are many side effects. When drug treatment is stopped, new symptoms can arise, or old ones return. If you're pregnant and HIV-positive, taking AZT throughout the pregnancy and during delivery can reduce the chances that the virus will be transmitted to the baby.

If you are not treated: HIV progresses more rapidly into full-blown AIDS without treatment, usually because of infections that develop as a result of the patient's weakened immune system.

If you are concerned you may have an STD, Come to :

MD Care

400 Westfield Ave

Elizabeth, NJ

(908) 691-3800