Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, and/or rectum. Infected men may experience pain or burning with urination, discharge from the penis, or testicular pain. In females, gonorrhea can also infect the cervix. Gonorrhea is most commonly spread during vaginal, oral or anal sex.

 

Not everyone gets symptoms and you can have the disease without knowing about it. If you are infected with gonorrhea, you should seek treatment immediately. Rapid care is important as untreated gonorrhea can spread, causing difficulty having children.

Causes

Gonorrhea is an STI caused by a bacterium, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which spreads through sexual contact. The bacterium causes inflammation in various mucous membranes, primarily in the urethra and cervix.

Symptoms

It is possible to have gonorrhea without knowing it because symptoms do not always manifest. If you do get symptoms, they often come within a week of infection. Half of women with gonorrhea are asymptomatic but the other half experience vaginal discharge, lower abdominal pain, or pain with sexual intercourse associated with inflammation of the uterine cervix.

 

Most infected men with symptoms have inflammation of the penile urethra associated with a burning sensation during urination and discharge from the penis. In men, discharge with or without burning occurs in half of all cases and is the most common symptom of the infection.

Prevention and protection

As with most sexually transmitted diseases, the risk of infection can be reduced significantly by the correct use of condoms and can be removed almost entirely by limiting sexual activities to a mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected person.

 

Newborn babies coming through the birth canal are given erythromycin ointment in the eyes to prevent blindness from infection.

Treatment

Effective treatment can cure gonorrhea and help prevent long-term complications. But it is important that you seek care as soon as you can. Gonorrhea that is left untreated can spread to the epididymis, prostate or fallopian tubes and affect your ability to have children.

 

Gonorrhea should be treated with antibiotics after sampling.

When to consult a doctor

If you have had sex with someone who has gonorrhea or if you have symptoms of the disease, contact a docor or sexual health clinic immediately.

How APPOTEK can help

APPOTEK can’t help with gonorrhea. Contact your regular health care provider or sexual health clinic.

Examiners:

Vadym Diadiun, Doctor of Medicine, M.D.