Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), once called venereal diseases, are among the most common infectious diseases in the United States today. More than 20 STDs have now been identified, and they affect more than 13 million men and women in this country each year.

Understanding the basic facts about STDs -- the ways in which they are spread, their common symptoms, and how they can be treated -- is the first step toward prevention.

What are some of these basic facts? It is important to understand at least five key points about all STDs in this country today:

1. STDs affect men and women of all backgrounds and economic levels. They are most prevalent among teenagers and young adults. Nearly two-thirds of all STDs occur in people younger than 25 years of age.

2. The incidence of STDs is rising, in part because in the last few decades, young people have become sexually active earlier yet are marrying later. In addition, divorce is more common. The net result is that sexually active people today are more likely to have multiple sex partners during their lives and are potentially at risk for developing STDs.

3. Many STDs initially cause no symptoms, particularly in women. When symptoms develop, they may be confused with those of other diseases not transmitted through sexual contact. However, even when an STD causes no symptoms, a person who is infected may be able to pass the disease on to a sex partner. That is why many doctors recommend periodic testing for people who have more than one sex partner.

4. Health problems caused by STDs tend to be more severe and more frequent for women than for men. This occurs in part because the frequency of asymptomatic infection means that many women do not seek care until serious problems have developed.
   • Some STDs can spread into the uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes to cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which in turn is a major cause of both infertility and ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. The latter can be fatal.

   • STDs in women may also be associated with cervical cancer. One STD, human papillomavirus infection (HPV), can result in genital warts, but can also lead to cervical and other genital cancers; the relationship between other STDs and cervical cancer is not yet clear.

   • STDs can be passed from a mother to her baby before or during birth; some of these infections of the newborn can be cured easily, but others may cause a baby to be permanently disabled or even die.

5. When diagnosed and treated early, almost all STDs can be treated effectively. Some organisms, such as certain forms of gonococci (the bacteria that causes gonnorhea), have become resistant to the drugs used to treat them and now require newer types of antibiotics. The most serious STD for which no cure now exists is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a fatal viral infection of the immune system. Experts believe that having STDs other than AIDS increases a person's risk for becoming infected with the AIDS virus.

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.