Gonorrhea - Definition, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Despite these funny names, untreated gonorrhea is a serious health risk. It affects about 600,000 women and men in the U.S. every year. About one million women each year in the United States develop PID.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. These bacteria can infect the genital tract, mouth, and rectum of both men and women. In women, gonorrhea is a common cause of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). In women, however, the opening to the uterus (cervix) is the first place of infection The bacterium can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus. Gonorrhea is spread through contact with the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus. Ejaculation does not have to occur for gonorrhea to be transmitted or acquired. Gonorrhea is spread through contact. Gonorrhea can also be spread from mother to baby during delivery. Women with gonorrhea are at risk of developing serious complications from the infection, regardless of the presence or severity of symptoms.

Gonorrhea symptoms usually appear within 2 to 10 days after contact with an infected partner. Premary symptoms including is Bleeding associated with vaginal intercourse.Secondry is Painful or burning sensations when urinating and last is Yellow or bloody vaginal discharge. Between 30-60% of women with gonorrhea are asymptomatic or have subclinical disease. Men have symptoms more often than women, including is White, yellow, or green pus from the penis with pain, Burning sensations during urination amd Swollen or painful testicles. some men have some signs or symptoms that appear two to five days after infection; symptoms can take as long as 30 days to appear. Gonococcal infections are 1.5 times more common in men than in women. Most common long-term sequelae of gonorrhea are chronic pelvic pain in women after PID. Approximately 200 million new cases of gonorrhea appear each year. For women, the early symptoms of gonorrhea often are mild. Several antibiotics can successfully cure gonorrhea in adolescents and adults. However, drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea are increasing in many areas of the world.

Causes of Gonorrhea

1.Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

2.Gonococcal infection

3.Neonatal infection

4.Exposure to an infected individual without barrier protection

5.Multiple partners Symptoms of Gonorrhea

1.Abdominal pain.

2.Bleeding between menstrual cycles.

3.Fever. 4.Painful intercourse.

5.Painful urination.

6.Swelling or tenderness of the vulva. 7.Vomiting.

Treatment of Gonorrhea

If you are pregnant, or are younger than 18 years old, you should not be treated with certain types of antibiotics. Many antibiotics to treat gonorrhea Cefixime ,Ceftriaxone ,Ciprofloxacin Ofloxacin and Levofloxacin. Drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea are increasing in many areas of the world, including the United States, and successful treatment of gonorrhea is becoming more difficult. If you have gonorrhea, all of your partners should get tested and then treated if infected, whether or not they have symptoms. Health experts also recommend that you not have until your infected partners have been treated. By using latex condoms correctly and consistently during vaginal or rectal activity. Penicillin is ineffective at treating rectal gonorrhea: this is because other bacteria within the rectum produce ß-lactamases that destroy penicillin. All current treatments are less effective at treating gonorrhea of the throat, so the patient must be rechecked by throat swab 72 hours or more after being given treatment, and then retreated if the throat swab is still positive. Treat infected partners or have them tested before having relations.