The major sexually transmitted disease (STDs) and their symptoms
(Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Genital Herpes, AIDS, Pubic Lice (Crabs),
Nonspecific Urethritis (NSU), Hepatitis B are covered.)

From: [email protected] (Michael Raymond Feely)
Date: 13 Oct 91 01:35:57 GMT

All information is courtesy of "On Sex and Human Loving", Masters and
Johnson Copyright 1985. All typos are mine, but sadly, this newsreader
doesn't have a spell checker on it. Further info on the development
times and the percentage of asymptomatic cases of AIDS would be
appreciated...

Gonorrhea
---------

Transmission: Intercourse, fellatio, anal sex, cunnilingus, kissing
(infrequently) Women run a roughly 50% chance of
contracting the disease after one session of inter-
course, men 20-25%.

MALE Symptoms: Yellowish discharge from the penis. Painful, frequent
urination. Symptoms develop from two to thirty days
after infection. Roughly 10% of men have no symptoms.
Later stages of the infection may move into the prostate,
seminal vesicles, and epididymis, causing severe pain and
fever. Untreated, gonorrhea can lead to sterility in a
small minority of cases.

UPDATE: Traditionally, gonorrhea in the male was thought to be a
symptomatic disease as described above. More recently it
has been recognized that a significant number of males have
asymptomatic gonorrhea. As asymptomatic infections can
lead to the same complications as symptomatic infections
and can be transmitted in the same way, it is important for
men to realize that an exposure needs to be investigated
whether or not there are symptoms. Also, a complication of
gonorrhea not mentioned above is septic arthritis (infected
joint). While the infection itself is easy to treat, this
can severely damage the involved joint (often the knee)
leading to a permanent disability.

FEMALE Symptoms: Under half of women with gonorrhea show no symptoms, or
symptoms so mild they are commonly ignored. Early symptoms
include increased vaginal discharge, irritation of the ex-
ternal genitals, pain or burning on urination and abnormal
menstrual bleeding. Women who are untreated may develop
severe complications. The infection will usually spread to
the uterus, Fallopian tubes, and ovaries, causing Pelvic
Inflammatory Disease (PID). PID, though not only caused
by gonorrhea, is the most common cause of female infer-
tility. Early symptoms of PID are lower abdominal pain,
fever, nausea, vomiting, and pain during intercourse.

Syphilis
--------

Transmission: Nominally sexual contact, but can be transmitted by blood
transfusion or from an infected pregnant woman to her fetus.

Symptoms:

PRIMARY STAGE A chancre sore develops at the site of infection from two
to four weeks after infection has occurred. The chancre is
painless 75% of the time. The chancre starts as a dull red
spot, turns into a pimple, which ulcerates, forming a round
or oval sore with a red rim. The sore heals in 4-6 weeks -
however, the infection is still present. The chancre is
usually found on the genitals or anus, but can appear on
any part of the skin.

SECOND STAGE One week to six months after the chancre heals. Pale red
or pinkish rash appears (often on palms or soles) fever,
sore throat, headaches, joint pains, poor appetite, weight
loss, hair loss. Moist sores may appear around the genitals
or anus and are highly infectious. Symptoms usually last
three to six months, but can come and go.

LATENT STAGE No apparent symptoms, and the carrier is no longer
contagious. However, the organism is insinuating itself
into the host's tissues. 50 to 70 percent of carriers pass
the rest of their lives without the disease leaving this
stage. The reminder pass into Third Stage syphilis

THIRD STAGE Serious heart problems, eye problems, brain and spinal cord
damage, with a high probability of paralysis, insanity,
blindness or death.

From: (anonymous)

While all of the symptoms mentioned are possible (as well as others),
it usually manifests with a limited number of these symptoms at any one
time (often just one). In the past, syphilis was known as the great
imitator because it could resemble almost any known illness (It was
said that "To know syphilis was to know medicine.") Modern diagnostic
techniques now make this a much simpler disease to diagnose, especially
in the early stages. The statement in the FAQ that later stages of
syphilis are not curable is IMHO wrong. There is some controversy on
this point in treating advanced neurosyphilis, but I believe this
represents difficulties in evaluating the effectiveness of treatment in
the short term in these patients. I believe patients who are not
successfully treated represent treatment failures not incurable
disease. Having said this, let me point out that damage by the disease
prior to treatment is not reversible, although it is often treatable.

Genital Herpes
--------------

Transmission: Generally by sexual contact. Direct contact with infected
genitals can cause transmission via intercourse, rubbing
genitals together, oral genital contact, anal sex, or oral
anal contact. In addition, normally protected areas of
skin can become infected if there is a cut, rash, sore.
Herpes viruses can be spread in some instances by kissing,
if one participant has the infection sited in or near the
mouth.

Symptoms: Herpes is marked by clusters of small, painful blisters
on the genitals. After a few days, the blisters burst,
leaving small ulcers. In men, the blisters usually appear
on the penis, but can appear in the urethra or rectum.
In women, they usually appear on the labia, but can appear
on the cervix and anal area. First outbreaks are accompanied
by fever, headache, and muscle soreness for two or more
consecutive days in 39% of men and 68% of women. Other
relatively common symptoms include painful urination
discharge from the urethra or vagina, and tender, swollen
lymph nodes in the groin. These symptoms tend to disappear
within two weeks. Aseptic meningitis occurs in 8 percent of
cases, eye infections in 1% of cases, and infection of the
cervix in 88% of infected women. Skin lesions last on
average 16.5 days in men, 19.7 in women. Secondary symptoms
are most prominent in the first four days and then gradually
diminish.

Recurrence: None in 10% of cases. Frequency for the remaining
population is from once a month to once every few years.
The majority of sufferers do not have repeat attacks after
a few years. Most repeat attacks are less severe than the
initial attack.

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
-----------------------------------------

Transmission: Sexual contact, sharing IV needles, blood transfusion
(Note that blood is now routinely screened for HIV) Note
also that the HIV virus is significantly less likely to be
transmitted than the gonorrhea or syphilis bacteria.

Symptoms: No single pattern exists. Most common symptoms are
progressive, inexplicable weight loss, persistent fever,
swollen lymph nodes, and reddish purple coin sized spots
on the skin (These spots are Kaposi's sarcoma, a form of
cancer) When symptoms appear, they may remain unchanged for
months, of may be followed by any one of a number of op-
portunistic infections. Typically these include pneumocystis
carinii, an unusual form of pneumonia, fungal infections,
tuberculosis, and various herpes forms. Treatment may fend
off these infections, however the typical course is for one
overwhelming infection to follow another until the victim
succumbs due to the immune system's failure to return to a
normal state, and hence, the opportunistic infection's
relative freedom to wreak havoc on the victim's systems.
It is possible for AIDS to be asymptomatic for prolonged
periods of time while still being contagious.

On the significance of symptoms of HIV separate from infections:

While most AIDS patients do eventually die of/with various
opportunistic infections, the significance of the chronic wasting
can not be ignored.
In the early days of AIDS, there were patients that by current
definitions clearly had AIDS, but were never classified as such
since they died of the "dwindles" before acquiring an opportunistic
infection that would have made that diagnosis.
Also, there has been much discussion of the minimal time until
HIV seroconversion. It should be noted that patients with advanced
HIV disease can become "HIV negative" as they lose the ability to
make antibodies to HIV (this does not represent an improvement in
the condition).
A final comment on HIV: the opportunistic infections encountered
in HIV infection are generally acquired common environmental
pathogens or acquired from the host themselves. This is why HIV wards
do not serve to infect all occupants with all diseases present.

Pubic Lice (Crabs)
------------------

Transmission: Nominally through sexual contact, however they may be
picked up through use of sheets, towels or clothing used
by an infected person.

Symptoms: Intense itching, usually felt mostly at night. Some
victims have no symptoms, others may develop an allergic
rash.

Nonspecific Urethritis (NSU)
----------------------------

(Most commonly - Chlamydia trachomatous and T. mycoplasma)

Transmission: Some cases are allergic or chemical reactions, and are
not transmitted per se. Others are through sexual contact.

Symptoms: Similar to gonorrhea but usually milder. Urethral
discharge is generally thin and clear. Some cases are
asymptomatic.

Also: This can also precipitate a condition called Reiter's syndrome in
susceptible persons. This is most commonly characterized by

The Facts on Hepatitis B
------------------------

What is Hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B, a potentially deadly, sexually transmitted disease, is not
selective about who it infects: anyone can get hepatitis B. Yet,
even though it affects the lives of hundreds of thousands in the
United States, most people know very little about this serious
disease.

The hepatitis B virus has been spreading rapidly in the United States,
with 14 Americans dying each day from hepatitis B-related illnesses.
Chances are you know at least one person with hepatitis B because one
in 20 Americans has been infected with the virus.

Why is Hepatitis B Called a Sexually Transmitted Disease?

Hepatitis B is not commonly thought of as a sexually transmitted
disease. The fact is that it is commonly spread through sex, just
like AIDS, syphilis, herpes and gonorrhea. The number of Americans
who have contracted hepatitis B through sex has almost doubled in the
last decade.

Who Can get Hepatitis B?

Because it is extremely contagious--100 times more contagious than
AIDS--anyone can get hepatitis B. But you are in even greater danger
if:

o you have had more than one sexual partner in the last six months
o you have had unprotected sex (without a condom)
o you or your partner have ever been diagnosed with a sexually
transmitted disease (such as herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis,
chlamydia, genital warts or AIDS)
o you or your partner have had sexual contact with someone who has
had hepatitis B, or someone who is in one of the categories
listed above

What Are the Symptoms?

About half of those who get hepatitis B will suffer from an
inflammation of the liver, called acute hepatitis. Many people with
hepatitis B mistake the symptoms for other illnesses, such as the flu,
while others are more seriously affected and may miss school or work
for months. Some of the symptoms caused by hepatitis B are:

o mild, flu-like illness
o skin rashes and arthritis
o nausea
o vomiting
o loss of appetite
o malaise
o abdominal pain
o jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin)

What Happens if I Get Hepatitis B?

Those who become chronically infected with hepatitis B have
substantially higher risk of developing liver cancer than the general
population. But even if you don't get liver cancer, the effects of
hepatitis B infection can be so severe that you may not be able to go
to school or work for several months.

Then there are those who don't even know they have hepatitis B. We
call them the "silent carriers". This group of symptomless carriers
can pass the disease on to countless others unknowingly (and may
eventually get very ill themselves).

NOTE: THERE IS NO KNOWN CURE FOR HEPATITIS B although there is a
possible vaccine. Ask a physician for more information.

After May 1, you can call 1-800-HEP-B-873 for referral to a physician
near you who can answer questions.

Because the transmission of different STDs are not independent, persons who
acquire _any_ STD are at considerably greater risk (epidemiologically) of
acquiring other STDs. Persons diagnosed with one STD should be examined for
other STDs at that time (Multiple infections are possible!!!). Persons who
have ever had a STD (except lice, "crabs") should be aware of whatever was
done that led them to acquire that STD.