Gonorrhea, its symptoms, causes and treatment | Tibot

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection that is spread through unprotected oral, vaginal or anal sex with an infected partner, including through mutual masturbation and sharing of sex toys. It’s caused by infection with the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It can be passed from an infected mother to her infant during birth. The infection can affect mucous linings in the vagina, cervix, penis, rectum, throat, and eyes. In rare cases, it can affect other parts of the body. Both men and women can get it, though men get it more often than women.

It tends to infect warm, moist areas of the body, including the:

  • urethra (the tube that drains urine from the urinary bladder)
  • eyes
  • throat
  • vagina
  • anus
  • female reproductive tract (the fallopian tubes, cervix, and uterus)

People with numerous sexual partners or those who don’t use a condom are at greatest risk of infection. The best protections against infection are abstinence, monogamy (sex with only one partner), and proper condom usage. Behaviors that make a person more likely to engage in unprotected sex also increase the infection.

Symptoms usually occur within 2 to 14 days after exposure. However, some people infected with gonorrhea never develop noticeable symptoms. Sometime it confuses the symptoms of gonorrhea with another disease. If symptoms do appear, they may take anywhere from two to 30 days after infection to show up. It’s important to remember that a person with gonorrhea who doesn’t have symptoms, also called a nonsymptomatic carrier, is still contagious. A person is more likely to spread the infection to other partners when they don’t have noticeable symptoms.

In men

Men may not develop noticeable symptoms for several weeks. Some men may never develop symptoms.

Typically, the infection begins to show symptoms a week after its transmission. The first noticeable symptom in men is often a burning or painful sensation during urination. As it progresses, other symptoms may include:

  • greater frequency or urgency of urination
  • a pus-like discharge (or drip) from the penis Colored discharge (Thick, yellowish-green, white, yellow, beige, or greenish)
  • swelling or redness at the opening of the penis
  • swelling or pain in the testicles
  • a persistent sore throat
  • Itching penis
  • Red or itchy eyes
  • Pain in the throat
  • Swollen throat glands

The infection will stay in the body for a few weeks after the symptoms have been treated. In rare instances, gonorrhea can continue to cause damage to the body, specifically the urethra and testicles. Pain may also spread to the rectum.

In women

Many women don’t develop any symptoms of gonorrhea. When women do develop symptoms, they tend to be mild or similar to other infections, making them more difficult to identify. Gonorrhea infections can appear much like common vaginal yeast or bacterial infections. . Left untreated, gonorrhea can work its way up the urethra and cervix to other pelvic organs. The result is pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which occurs in up to 20% of women with gonorrhea and can cause infertility. Symptoms of PID include pelvic pain, fever, abdominal tenderness, and vaginal discharge.

Symptoms include:

  • Increased vaginal discharge
  • Discolored discharge from the vagina (watery, creamy, or slightly green)
  • vulvitis (swelling of the vulva)
  • pain or burning sensation while urinating
  • the need to urinate more frequently
  • Vaginal bleeding (heavier periods or spotting) after intercourse or between menstrual periods
  • sore throat
  • swollen throat glands
  • pain upon engaging in sexual intercourse
  • Pain when urinating
  • sharp pain in the lower abdomen(pelvic pain)
  • Red or itchy eyes
  • fever

This sexually transmitted disease comes from a bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Even it’s spread through sex; a man doesn’t have to ejaculate in order to pass it on to his partner.

Gonorrhea transmitted from any kind of sexual contact, including:

  • Vaginal intercourse
  • Anal intercourse
  • Oral intercourse (both giving and receiving)

Patient can get the bacterium that causes gonorrhea just from touching an infected area on another person. If contact with the penis, vagina, mouth or anus of someone carrying this bacterium, can transmit gonorrhea.

These germs can’t live for more than a few seconds outside the body, so can’t get this STD by touching objects like toilet seats or clothes. But women who have gonorrhea can pass the disease on to their baby during a vaginal delivery. Babies born by LUCS can’t get it from their mother.

Gonorrheal eye infections are usually found in infants who have picked it up in the birth canal, but adults may get eye infections if they touch the infected area and then rub their eyes.

Antibiotics can cure most gonorrhea infections. If anyone suspected symptoms about gonorrhea, than patent need to visit a healthcare professional.

Antibiotics

Gonorrhea is usually treated with an antibiotic injection of Ceftriaxone one time to the buttocks or cefixime, a pill or a single dose of Azithromycin by mouth. The antibiotic-resistant strains of gonorrhea may require more extensive treatment, with a seven-day course of an oral antibiotic or dual therapy with two different antibiotics, usually for a total of seven days of therapy. The antibiotics used for extended therapy are usually given once or twice a day. Some common antibiotics used include azithromycin and doxycycline.

Sexual partner(s) should be tested immediately. Sex partner also need same type of treatment. Anyone treated for gonorrhea should be re-tested 6 months afterwards. Patients treated for gonorrhea should also be treated for chlamydia. Don’t have sex until treatment is complete (7 days after a single dose treatment).

Fluoroquinolones, penicillins, or tetracyclines used to be effective therapies, but many of the strains today have developed resistance to these antibiotics. It is very important to take medications exactly as prescribed, and some people will require a follow-up test after finishing treatment. All people treated for gonorrhea will need to follow up with their doctor in 6 months.

If anyone suspected symptoms about gonorrhea, than patent need to visit a healthcare professional. If anyone thinks that, may have gonorrhea, and then should be avoid sexual activity. Need to contact with a doctor immediately. Patient also needs to follow up with the doctor one to two weeks later to make sure that infection has cleared.

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Gonorrhea

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Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection that is spread through unprotected oral, vaginal or anal sex with an infected partner, including through mutual masturbation and sharing of sex toys. It’s caused by infection with the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It can be passed from an infected mother to her infant during birth. The infection can affect mucous linings in the vagina, cervix, penis, rectum, throat, and eyes. In rare cases, it can affect other parts of the body. Both men and women can get it, though men get it more often than women.

It tends to infect warm, moist areas of the body, including the:

  • urethra (the tube that drains urine from the urinary bladder)
  • eyes
  • throat
  • vagina
  • anus
  • female reproductive tract (the fallopian tubes, cervix, and uterus)

People with numerous sexual partners or those who don’t use a condom are at greatest risk of infection. The best protections against infection are abstinence, monogamy (sex with only one partner), and proper condom usage. Behaviors that make a person more likely to engage in unprotected sex also increase the infection.

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Dr. Lora Smith

MBBS (Dhaka), DGO (DU) Ex SR. Gynaecologist & Obstetrician

09 606 111 222

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