Study examines effects of STDs on prostate gland

Researchers at the Department of Surgery for the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, examined the possibility of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) affecting the prostate. According to the UroToday International Journal, certain STDs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, had the potential to infect the male gland.

To conduct the study, Washington University urology experts examined young men who were members of the U.S. armed forces. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was used as an indicator of infection, inflammation or cell damage of the prostate.

The architects of the study measured the levels of PSA before and during STD infection, specifically among 299 men with chlamydia, 112 with gonorrhea and 59 with non-chlamydial, non-gonococcal urethritis (NCNGU), as well as 256 uninfected men.

Findings concluded that chlamydia and gonorrhea were more likely to lead to a rise of less than or equal to 40 percent in PSA levels than those with no infections. NCNGU did not appear to cause such a PSA increase, seemingly indicating the disease's lack of effects on the prostate.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the specific bacterial causes of NCNGU are not known, despite its known status as an STD, but may include trichomoniasis vaginalis and adenovirus.