The limphogranuloma venerum is a sexually transmittable disease. It is an infection affecting the lymph nodes and it infects the lymphatic system too. Of course, the infection is caused by bacteria. The name of those bacteria is Chlamydia Trachomatis. These bacteria enter the human organism if they can find a break in the skin.
It also has the power o cross the layer of epithelial cells if they have access to a mucous membrane. After the bacteria entered the skin, it slowly moves towards the lymphatic channels. Once it gets there, it starts multiplying. It is known to be a rare disease especially in Europe. Most of the patients infected with these particular bacteria are already contaminated with HIV AIDS.
The numbers show that ever since 2004, 341 people were infected with the bacteria in the United Kingdom, and 80 such cases were reported on the United States of America territory. Because this is a hard to determine diagnosis, the specialists in the field think that the number of infected people is considerably higher than the official reports. The disease is usually transmitted through sexual contact. When the contamination is made this way, the symptoms are at the skin level in the genital area.
The disease causes the formation of abscesses in the genital area, localized at the level of the lymph nodes. If the bacteria enter the human body rectally, that is where the buboes will show up. This is usually determined by contamination through anal sexual contact. It can also affect the throat, but the cases of such a manifestation of the disease are rare. If that is the case, however, the abscesses will be visible at the neck level.
The initial stage of the disease is not violent. The primary stage is characterized by genital ulcer, and the pain is not necessarily involved. Women especially do not observe the first stage of the infection, because the initial ulceration takes place in the walls of the vagina. This stands for the primary stage in men as well. It can be healed in a few days, with the condition it is discovered in time.
The second stage of the disease takes place between ten to thirty days after the contamination. That is not a general term because there have been cases when this stage started even six months later. That is when the infection extends to the lymph nodes, and inflammations occur. There are typical signs for it such as fever and low appetite.
This disease is characterized by the enlargement of the lymph nodes, which at first can be painful. The areas where the lymph nodes are located can also be the area where the infection localizes, which causes the inflammation as well as thinning of the skin.
The next step of the progression of the disease could be reactions such as abscesses, strictures, fistulas, necrosis, etc. If the disease is discovered and treated in useful time, there is the possibility of total healing. Nevertheless, if after the second stage exposed above, the disease is not treated properly, the evolution continues. The third stage of the disease can lead to edema as well as fibrosis, and they are usually permanent effects of the bacteria.
