Gonorrhea
It is a common human sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhea. It is most common in young adults. The bacteria that cause gonorrhea can infect the genital tract, mouth, or anus. Gonorrhea generally spreads during vaginal, oral, or anal sexual encounter with an infected partner. A pregnant woman can pass it to her baby during childbirth. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain. In both men and women if gonorrhea is left untreated, it may spread locally causing epididymitis or pelvic inflammatory disease or throughout the body, affecting joints and heart valves.
Symptoms
Men: Men who contract gonorrhea may experience symptoms like:
An unusual white, yellow or green discharge from the tip of the penis
Pain or a burning sensation during passing urine
Inflammation (swelling) of the foreskin
Pain or tenderness in the testicles or prostate gland (though is rare)
Women: In women, symptoms of gonorrhea can include:
An unusual thick discharge from the vagina, which may be green or yellow in color
Pain during passing urine
Pain or tenderness in the lower abdominal area (this is less common)
Bleeding between periods or heavier periods (this is less common)
Men and women: Both men and women can also catch gonorrhea at other sites of the body. These include infection in the:
Pain, discomfort or discharge in and around rectum region
Throat, which does not usually have any symptoms
Eyes, which can cause pain, swelling, irritation and discharge (conjunctivitis)
Causes
Gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The infection is transmitted from one person to another through vaginal, oral or anal sex. The bacteria are usually found in discharge from the penis and vaginal fluid of infected men and women. Pregnant women can spread gonorrhea to the baby during birth. This can lead to your newborn baby having an infection of the eyes (conjunctivitis), which can lead to blindness if not treated.
Diagnosis
Gonorrhea is diagnosed with gram stain or with culture of the bacteria, however newer polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based testing methods are becoming more common.
For further diagnosis and confirmation, please consult your physician.
Treatments
It is important to receive treatment for gonorrhea quickly. Gonorrhea can be treated with a single dose of antibiotics, usually one of the following:
Ceftriaxone
Cefixime
Spectinomycin
For treatment purpose please consult your physician.
Preventions
The risk of infection can be reduced significantly by using condoms and by having a mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected person.
References:
CDC
NHS
U S National Library of Science
WHO
