When one speaks of sexually transmitted diseases, many may think of it as just HIV or AIDS. Actually there are lots of other STDs aside from the two mentioned. Some may be as dangerous and some may treated with medications. So, what really causes these diseases? And what are the possible complications that the disease may give?

There are three kinds of sexually transmitted diseases. These are the bacterial, viral and parasitic. The bacterial infections are caused by germs or bacteria. Bacterial STDs include Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. These diseases are curable and may be treated with antibiotics. However, though curable, they still have to be attended to right away to prevent further health damages such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), reproductive health problems and infertility.

Viral STDs are more dangerous than the bacterial ones. They are carried in a person’s body for life once infected. These are often incurable by medications. Viral STDs include herpes, HPV, hepatitis B and C, HIV and AIDS. Often times, the symptoms of these diseases show through the patient’s skin. They may have sores, blisters, lumps and bumps. These diseases may also be passed to another person through sexual activities. Health complications of viral STDs are bacterial pneumonia, weakening of the immune system, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and different types of cancers.

And the third kind of sexually transmitted diseases is the parasitic infection. This is caused by tiny bugs that live in the pubic hair and genital area. They include scabies and pubic lice. They can be transmitted through sharing of bath towels, beddings or clothing and of course, sexual contact. Scabies and pubic lice maybe eliminated with prescription soap.

All of these diseases, whether simple or complex, are considered to be health dangers. And some of these are even fatal and can cause the life of the patient infected with it. Though some STDs may show signs and symptoms, there are few that are asymptomatic. This makes it hard for them to be detected or noticed immediately. And for some, they may give attention to it even if there are already symptoms. This is why the number of cases for the different STDs is still going up every year. Undetected and untreated patients make it hard to control the disease. This is why different concerned organizations are coming up with different ways to make people know that it is important to know what their health condition is. This goes for those who are sexually active and do not use latex protection.

Testing for STD detection is also now implemented in a lot of hospitals and local health clinics in different states around U.S. There are also different STD testing clinics that offer local STD testing anytime anybody needs it. They also have confidential STD testing for those who would like to keep their testing and results in private.

These STD testing may help in controlling the spread of these dangerous diseases and prevent others from getting infected with it. If the disease is detected early, the patient may then undergo treatment and may be under prevention measures to avoid passing the disease to other people.