Gonorrhea Facts

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (urine canal) in women and men. The bacterium can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus.

Symptoms

About half of infected women and men don't have gonorrhea symptoms. If symptoms develop, they usually occur 2 to 5 days after exposure, but they may not develop for up to 30 days.

Gonorrhea may not cause symptoms until the infection has spread to other areas of the body.

Symptoms in women

In women, the early symptoms are sometimes so mild that they are mistaken for a bladder infection or vaginal infection. Symptoms may include:

  • Painful or frequent urination.
  • Anal itching, pain, bleeding, or discharge.
  • Abnormal vaginal discharge.
  • Abnormal vaginal bleeding with intercourse or between periods.
  • Genital itching.
  • Irregular menstrual bleeding.
  • Lower abdominal pain.
  • Fever and general tiredness.
  • Swollen and painful glands at the opening of the vagina (Bartholin glands).
  • Painful sexual intercourse.
  • Sore throat (rare).
  • Pink eye (conjunctivitis) (rare).
Symptoms in men
  • Urethral discharge (drip)
  • Dysuria
  • Condom nonuse or condom failure
  • Infected contact
  • Proctitis and/or pharyngitis, depending on types of intercourse and partners

Risk factors

  • Sex with an infected partner
  • Multiple sex partners
  • Low socioeconomic status
  • Minority status: African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans have the highest rates in the United States.
  • Condom nonuse or condom failure
  • History of concurrent or past STDs
    •
  • Exchange of sex for drugs or money
  • Use of crack cocaine
  • Early age of onset of sexual activity

Complications list for Gonorrhea: The list of complications that have been mentioned in various sources for Gonorrhea includes:

  • Pelvic inflammatory disease - 10-40% of untreated cases get PID
  • Gonococcal PID (type of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease)
  • Peritonitis - not common
  • Mother-infant transmission (see Birth symptoms) - baby can get infected during delivery.
  • Infant eye infections (see Eye symptoms) - from maternal transmission.
  • Neonatal conjunctivitis (type of Conjunctival disorders)
  • Neonatal throat infection
  • Gonococcal arthritis (type of Infectious arthritis) - rarely gonorrhea spreads through the blood to the joints.
  • Endocarditis
  • Blood poisoning
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Opthalmia neonatorum - conjunctivitis in newborn acquired during childbirth from mother.

Treatment

  • The doctor may prescribe a single-dose injection of an antibiotic such as ceftriaxone (Rocephin) or a single-dose pill such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro).
  • If you are pregnant or younger than 18, the doctor will usually prescribe the shot instead of a pill.

Source: Healthwise, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, eMedicine and Wrong Diagnosis.com


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