THURSDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) — Urologists in Great Britain often fail to detect cases of chlamydia in young men who see them for a related condition, British researchers contend.
They say that many urologists are ignoring guidelines on how to deal with a condition known as epididymo-orchitis, which causes inflammation of the testicle and the epididymis, the tube that passes sperm from the testicle to the vas deferens.
“Urologists remain poor at managing epididymo-orchitis in sexually active young men, and are therefore almost certainly failing to diagnose many cases of chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections in exactly the group both most at risk and most likely to have multiple partners,” the researchers wrote in their report, published online April 15 in Sexually Transmitted Infections.
They surveyed urology departments at five British hospitals and found 204 cases in which epididymo-orchitis was treated over 18 months. In just 7 percent of the cases were urine or urethral samples sent for testing, which the researchers said the guidelines call for. About three-fourths of those tested positive for chlamydia, according to the study.
The researchers also found that many urologists also failed to follow guidelines regarding drug treatment, did not encourage follow-up appointments and did not offer referrals to sexual health clinics.
Left untreated, chlamydia can cause infertility.
More information
For more about chlamydia, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.