Sexually Transmitted Disease Essay, Research Paper

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

In the June 15th 1994 issue of Patient Care, a case study of a 35-year-old man who

experiences painful urination is presented. Questioning revealed the patient had previously

been treated several times for sexually transmitted diseases, most recently for trichomonas

vaginitis. He suffered from it again.

The patient was evaluated at a medical institution at which time a urethral smear

showed leukocytosis without intracellular diplococci and a urethral culture was negative

for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The patient referred a female sex partner to us for evaluation.

Positive cultures of vaginal secretions and first-voided urine confirmed that she had T.

vaginalis infection. Tests were negative for other STDs. Both the patient and his sex

partner were treated with a single dose of metronidazole. At three-week follow-up, the

patient was asymptomatic; his partner did not return for reevaluation (Krieger, 1994).

Finally, the article suggested that the patient’s sex partners undergo appropriate

evaluation, preferably at a medical institution. Sex partners of individuals with an STD are

at risk for contracting the condition, and, although STDs may not produce symptoms,

such infections place patients at risk for serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory

disease and infertility.

Bibliography

Patient Care, June 15th 1994