While diseases like AIDS and gonorrhea are more widely known in the world, it is also important for a person to know about all types of sexually transmitted diseases, regardless of how obscure. Chancroid is one such sexually transmitted disease that has not received the kind of attention from awareness campaigns and media focus that it should. Even so, the following are certain details of a disease that is fairly common but less known amongst the masses.
What is Chancroid?
Chancroid, as described above, is a sexually transmitted disease that is more common in the developing world. It is because of this that the majority of the western world is not aware of this sexually transmitted disease. However, even though Chancroid is not common, there have been outbreaks in the western world as well at regular intervals. The disease is primarily related to commercial sex workers and similar low socioeconomic groups. The disease is caused by a gram negative streptobacillus known as Haemophilus Ducreyi. Other names of the sexually transmitted disease include soft chancre and ulcus molle.
What are the symptoms of Chancroid?
As the alternate name of Chancroid hints, the sexually transmitted disease is characterized by soft chancre. Chancre is a medical term of sores or ulcers. In Chancroid, the sore forms in the genital region and is usually found alone in men. However, in women there are more than one ulcer with four or even more usually the norm. The incubation period that the sores take to show up can be anything between a single day to two weeks. The ulcer or ulcers tend to be soft and very susceptible to bleeding if scraped and touched roughly. Furthermore, the sore’s base usually has grey or yellowish grey material surrounding it. It is also worth mentioning that women tend to show more symptoms with specifics being problems like pain with urination and intercourse. Chancres from Chancroid can occur in all sexually related locations in the body like the vagina, penis, rectum and even mouth and lips.
Are there any special considerations?
It is very easy for a person to mistake a chancre of Chancroid with a chancre of syphilis because the two are quite similar. However, the chancre of Chancroid is soft while the chancre of syphilis is supposed to be hard. The most important distinguishing factor is that chancres of syphilis usually tend to be painless while chancres of Chancroid are usually quite painful. Therefore, the best way to diagnose the exact disease is for the patient to consult a medical practitioner.
What kind of treatments are there for Chancroid?
The problem with treating Chancroid is not much different from that of other sexually transmitted diseases. It is the fact that most patients fail to report symptoms due to shame. However, the treatment for Chancroid is quite easy and simple, provided it is reported and diagnosed early. Chancroid can be treated with antibiotics like azithromycin, ceftriaxone and erythromycin. While a single one gram dose of azithromycin is enough, ceftriaxone requires an IM dose and erythromycin requires a full-fledged oral regime spanning seven days.