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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffChlamydia is a bacterial infection of the genital tract that spreads easily through sexual contact. You may not know you have chlamydia because the signs and symptoms of pain and fluid discharge don't show up right away, if they show up at all. Many people experience no signs and symptoms.
Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. Each year, an estimated 4 million people in the United States are infected with chlamydia. The disease affects both men and women and occurs in all age groups, though chlamydia is most prevalent among U.S. teenagers.
Chlamydia isn't difficult to treat once you know you have it. If it's left untreated, however, chlamydia can lead to more-serious health problems.
- Chlamydia fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/STDFact-Chlamydia.htm. Accessed Feb. 27, 2009.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2006. MMWR Recommendations and Reports. 2006;55:1. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5511a1.htm. Accessed Feb. 2, 2009.
- Stamm WE. Chlamydial infections. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=2895329. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Zenilman JM. Genital chlamydia trachomatis infections in women. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 27, 2009.
- Zenilman JM. Genital chlamydia trachomatis infections in men. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 27, 2009.
- Miller KE. Diagnosis and treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis infection. American Family Physician. 2006;73:1411.
- Miller WC, et al. Prevalence of chlamydial and gonococcal infections among young adults in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2004;291:2229.
