Tag: sexually transmitted disease

Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Adolescents

Sexually transmitted diseases are transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse and are highly infectious diseases. Unprotected sexual contact risks the lives of the young by afflicting with sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV infection and even unwanted pregnancy. Every year, nearly nineteen million cases of sexually transmitted diseases are reported in the United States alone and out of these, half of the cases involve people from the age group of fifteen years to twenty four years.

The best way to make sure the adolescent doesnt contract sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from all types of sexual activities. In spite of this, if the adolescent becomes sexually active, he/she must be advised by the parents to take precautionary measures to reduce the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease. The best precautionary measure is to use a condom every time the adolescent has sexual intercourse. Only when other sexually transmitted diseases are prevented and controlled, HIV infections can be prevented.

It is best when the adolescent delays and abstains from sexual relationships, because the younger the person, the more susceptible he/she is to get a sexually transmitted disease. Having sexual contact during menstruation is also risky. It is good to avoid anal intercourse and if it is performed condom is a must, even when having oral sex. Every person should get STD checkups as frequently as possible, irrespective of being sexually active or not, after they turn into adolescents. Precaution must also be taken when getting injected by an intravenous drug, that the needle used to inject must be sterile. The adolescent must be educated about the symptoms and risks of sexually transmitted diseases.

Adolescents must be thoroughly informed even if they say they know it all. They must be asked to indulge in only safe sex, if doing so. Parents should talk honestly and calmly about safe sex and must answer all their childs queries. Topics such as STDs, birth control methods, having sex because of peer pressure, and date rape must be discussed in detail. Most people think that kissing is safe, but it can spread the sexually transmitted disease, herpes and many other diseases. Condoms do not provide hundred percent protections for genital warts, AIDs and genital warts. Females shouldnt douche as it can make the infection go deeper into the reproductive tract and can also wash off spermicidal protection. At a time, sexual intercourse must be provided with only one partner, who isnt involved with any other sexual partner.

The sexually transmitted diseases are Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS, Human Papillomaviruses or HPVs, chlamydial infections, pelvic inflammatory disease or PID, Gonorrhea, Genital Herpes, syphilis, and genital warts. The symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases take time to surface. Some of them are also symptom less and even these diseases can be contagious. Especially in the case of female, the symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases can be confused with the symptoms of other diseases. But females get severe symptoms and get it more frequently. Sexually transmitted diseases can harm the fallopian tubes and uterus. It can even lead to inflammatory disease, which in turn can cause ectopic pregnancy or infertility. Cervical cancer, in females, can be associated to sexually transmitted diseases. If a female gets a sexually transmitted disease during her pregnancy, the disease can pass onto her child. Sometimes the newborns infections can be treated successfully, but at other times, the child can be disabled for life or die.

If an adolescent is diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases, his or her treatment must start immediately. The early the sexually transmitted diseases are diagnosed, the easier it is to treat them successfully. The other sexual partner must be informed so that they can get themselves diagnosed and can undergo treatment. The adolescent must be instructed to stay away from sexual activity while the treatment is going on. The checkup must be followed after the treatment. Tests such as pelvic examination, Pap test, and test for STDs should be taken periodically.

Sexually transmitted diseases can affect people of all economic levels and backgrounds. Half of the cases of sexually transmitted diseases involve young people below the age of twenty five. The more sexually active the person is the more risk he/she is. And multiple sex partners at a given time are very dangerous too and must be strictly abstained from.

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Arthritis Of The Foot

Arthritis Of The Foot
Dr. Jeffrey A. Oster, Medical Director Of Myfootshop.com.

Arthritis is a term used to describe a number of diseases that cause inflammation of joints and results in the progressive destruction of joints. Arthritis is actually a collection of many different joint diseases that affect the body and the foot in many different ways. In this article, let’s talk a bit about arthritis and how it affects the foot. We normally discuss treatment alternative for conditions, but due to the scope of this topic, we will not discuss treatment of each of the individual forms of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is by far and away the most common form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is known as the wear and tear type of joint disease and will effect most of us at one point in our lives. In our discussion on osteoarthritis, please refer to the nomenclature and anatomy sections below for definitions of the terms that my be unfamiliar to you.
When I think of osteoarthritis (OA), I think of my grandmother’s hands. Those hand have done a lot of work in their time and have a bit of arthritis to show for it. The fingers, crooked and bumpy show many of the changes brought on by osteoarthritis. The bumps on the fingers are called Heberden’s Nodes. Heberden’s Nodes are a very obvious example of how osteoarthritis occurs. If you’ve ever known anyone whose experienced the symptoms of OA, they’ll tell you that a joint will flare for a period of several weeks. It may be mildly painful or even painful to the degree that the joint is unusable. And then suddenly, just as passively as it came, it leaves. Occasional, brief morning stiffness was not unusual for grandma. The pain that had been present in her hands was actually due to a series of small micro-fractures that occurred in the subchondral bone (just beneath the cartilage). It seems that in cases of osteoarthritis, the bone just below the cartilage becomes very fragile. When loads are applied to this fragile bone, it breaks down. The more the joint is used, the more the bone seems to break down.
Over time, as the bone undergoes a series of flare ups, the ability of the bone to support the cartilage becomes unstable. The subchondral bone creates an unstable supporting surface for the cartilage. When the joint tries to complete its’ normal range of motion, the cartilage is irregular and progressively erodes. This moves us into the second phase of OA pain, and that’s when we have joint range of motion that is bone on bone. Cartilage has no nerve endings to sense pain, but bone on the other hand, has plenty. As the joint moves and the bone is eroded, significant pain can be experienced.
This erosive process seen in OA seems to occur at different rates in everyone. In fact, every joint seems to undergo the changes of OA at a different rate. The rate of change does seem to be effected by the history of damage to the joint. In fact the classifications used to describe OA include Primary (idiopathic or no known cause) and Secondary (some known cause for the disease such as trauma). Past injuries seem to accelerate the rate of OA in most joints. We all know someone with that old football injury, right?
The cause of OA is unknown. Many authors have speculated that the cause may be mechanical as described above, but others have described changes such as biologic, biochemical or enzymatic; or even a combination of each of these.
Changes that occur in the foot with OA are numerous. The most common is midfoot pain that is diffuse. The midfoot is a jigsaw puzzle of pieces that are difficult to manage when effected by a systemic disease of this nature. Other finding include atrophy (loss) of the plantar fat pad of the forefoot and heel. The big toe joint is often effected by the changes of OA with bunions and hallux limitus as common complaints.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a very complex and debilitating disease that affects approximately 1% of the general population. Women are 2-3 times more prone to develop RA. RA is a process where the body’s immune system attacks the cell lining the joint capsule (synovial cells). The end result is thickening and fibrosis of the joint with destruction of the cartilage.
Symptoms of RA include an abrupt onset of inflammation. The swelling associated with RA may be isolated to one joint or effect several. Symmetrical involvement is typical with both hands or both feet being affected. In comparison to OA, morning stiffness seen in RA may last more than 30 minutes.
The finding of RA in the foot often progresses to subluxation of the joints, particularly the metatarsal phalangeal joints. Atrophy of the plantar fat pad is common.

Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis (PA) is an interesting form of sero-negative arthritis. PA is associated with psoriasis in many cases, but it is not unusual to find the symptoms of PA in a patient with no previous history of psoriasis of the skin or nail.
The symptoms of PA in the foot include focal swelling of the interphalangeal joint (the toes). The toe will appear to have swollen and become painful with a limited history of injury or pain. X-rays often show slow changes that exhibit erosion called a pencil and cup appearance. This finding is common on the metatarsal phalangeal joint.

Reiter’s Syndrome

Reiter’s Syndrome (RS) is an unusual form of arthritis that is usually found in men.. RS is often described as a sexually transmitted disease due to the history of the disease occurring following sexual intercourse which resulted in a chlamydial infection. It is suggested to treat those with RS, and their sexual partners, for C. trachomatis infections.
The symptoms of RS include burning upon urination (urethritis), dry eyes and joint pain. Joint pain in the back and feet are common. These symptoms occur 7-14 days following sexual intercourse and subside over a period of several months to years. Recurrence of pain is not unusual. About the Author
Jeffrey A. Oster, DPM, C.Ped is a board certified foot and ankle surgeon. Dr. Oster is also board certified in pedorthics. Dr. Oster is medical director of Myfootshop.com and is in active practice in Granville, Ohio.

The Most Common Types of Warts

In America, a fairly large number of men, women, and children have warts. Despite being harmless and common, there are many who wish to have those warts removed. However, before doing that there are very few who actually take the time to examine and learn about the types of warts they have. While it may not change your decision, it may still be a good idea to familiarize yourself with some of the most common types of warts. There is a good chance that one of them may be the kind of warts that you have.

As previously mentioned warts are common, among individuals of all ages. Perhaps, that is why a number of warts are referred to as common warts. Common warts are warts that typically appear on the hands and the fingers. They are rarely found alone; common warts tend to be in groups or in clusters. Like many other types of warts, these warts are often hard or have a rough or scratchy surface. One of the reasons why they are commonly found on the hands is because these warts tend to appear where there is broken skin. This broken skin is often common on the fingers, especially when nail biting is a habit.

Also, plain warts or flat warts are another common type of wart. They, like many other wart types, are often found on individuals of all ages, which include men, women, children, and the elderly. Plain or flat warts tend to grow in large groups; however, unlike many other warts, they are not rough or hard to the touch. Instead, many appear as if they are relatively soft. It is not uncommon for shaving to be associated with flat or plain warts.

Planter warts are also another common type of wart. They are also found on individuals of all different ages. While warts can appear on just about any part of the body, planter warts are more common on the feet. Their location is what causes some planter warts to be unpleasant and painful. A planter wart can appear as a single wart, but it is not uncommon to also find them in groups. What is unique about these warts is how they grow. Most warts grow outwards; however, planter warts, most likely because of their location, tend to grow inwards.

Although the above mentioned warts are the most common traditional, types of warts, there is another type that is spreading across America. Those warts are known as genital warts. In addition to being known as a skin condition, genital warts are also known as a sexually transmitted disease (STD). This is because these warts are most commonly spread through intercourse, even protected intercourse. In some cases, genital warts are more difficult to have removed, but, like most other warts, it is possible.

Now that you may be able to determine which type of wart or warts you have, you may be able to decide on an appropriate course of action. Almost all warts can be removed at home, but it is advised that you, at least, seek professional advice. In fact, if you have genital warts, you are urged to see a healthcare professional. This is because, in addition to having your warts removed, you may also need to be prescribed medication. This medication may help to reduce the number of outbreaks you experience.

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