by Sarah Fayad
Daily Lobo
One of the most prevalent STDs affecting college-aged people is the one least likely to be noticed, health officials say.
Trichomoniasis, a parasitic sexually transmitted disease, is most common among people ages 16 to 35 and its ability to go undetected is making it a force to be reckoned with, according to a recent study on its possible future impacts on society.
The joint study, by the University of Kentucky and John Hopkins University, found the disease to be more common than even chlamydia or gonorrhea among high school and college students.
"About 20 percent of the time, chlamydia is present when someone is infected with trichomoniasis," said Connie Rossignol, a nurse practitioner at UNM's Student Health Center. "When we find trichomoniasis, we generally treat for chlamydia and test for gonorrhea."
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She said the danger of the disease lies in the fact that most people infected with it show little or no symptoms. More than 90 percent of infected males and 50 percent of infected females do not show symptoms, according to the Center for Disease Control's Web site.
The parasites in trichomaniasis attack the vagina and cervix in females and the urinary tract in males. Women, however, display symptoms more often than males. While the disease itself is a comparatively low-risk ailment, the inflammation it yields increases susceptibility to other STDs, including AIDS, Rossignol said.
The joint university study found that more than 5 percent of sexually active college students have a trichomaniasis infection.
The STD yields unusual and increased discharge in women, accompanying great discomfort and inflammation. Discharge may have a green, yellow or gray color, a frothy consistency and a pungent unpleasant odor.
Children born to an infected mother run a higher risk of low birth weight.
Symptoms of trichomaniasis in men are more rare and include discharge from the penis and burning during urination. Men may face complications in the prostate if the disease progresses.
According to the CDC's Web site, an estimated 5 million women are infected with the disease every year.
Often a symptom of chlamydia or gonorrhea, trichomaniasis can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and eventually infertility if left untreated, according to the CDC's Web site.
"Anyone with a positive test for any STD should at least be tested for all of them," Rossignol said.
A single dose of oral antibiotics can usually cure the infection, Rossignol said, but should not be used as a preventative measure.
She said the best way to lower a person's chances of contracting trichomaniasis, is the consistent use of latex or polyurethane condoms.
"The prevention of all STDs is the use of condoms and limiting the number if sexual partners you have in your lifetime" Rossignol said. "The number one, most important factor is the consistent and correct use of condoms."
