Bruce Bair asked:




When I am asked to screen someone for STDs, I want to know some important information that begins with the question why. More and more people want to be screened to prove they do not have any infectious disease. Potential sexual partners of these people want to know also. How many diseases do you have to worry about and how are you tested for these? I will name them all but only cover the most common reportable infections.

When we think of STDs medically I think of illness that require me to report the diagnosis by patient name to the state health department. This reporting is codified into law and is mandatory. The diseases that are sexually transmitted under this law are Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis, HIV, HSV.

Other diseases that can be transferred through sexual contact are Hepatitis B, Bacterial Vaginosis, Trichomonas.

A lesser know but increasingly worrisome STD is LGV (lymphogranuloma venereum) which causes genital and rectal ulcers and can obstruct the local lymph drainage causing permanent swelling of the genitals called elephantiasis. No one knows how many cases are in the USA. It has become more common in Europe among men who have sex with men but is also a heterosexual disease. This illness is caused by the same Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria that causes the more common STD.

Blood tests can determine the presence of Syphilis, HIV and antibodies to HSV. A urine test mainly effective for men can find the DNA of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. A DNA swab of the cervix is a more effective screen for women. HPV can be screened for in women only but no test can guarantee a woman or man does not have HPV. The diagnosis of HPV in men is made when they have genital warts that are biopsied and the virus is identified in the tissue sample.

Fioricet, Tramadol, Ultracet at the cheapest prices