Gonorrhea history and symptoms

Sexually transmitted diseases Main Page
Gonorrhea Microchapters
Home
Patient Info
Overview
Historical perspective
Classification
Pathophysiology
Causes
Differentiating Gonorrhea from other Diseases
Epidemiology and Demographics
Risk Factors
Screening
Natural History, Complications, and Prognosis
Diagnosis
History and Symptoms
Physical Examination
Laboratory Findings
Other Diagnostic Studies
Treatment
Medical Therapy
Antibiotic Resistance
Primary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Cost-Effectiveness of Therapy
Future or Investigational Therapies
Case Studies
Case #1
Gonorrhea history and symptoms On the Web
Most recent articles
Most cited articles
Review articles
CME Programs
Powerpoint slides
Images
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Gonorrhea history and symptoms All Images X-rays Echo & Ultrasound CT Images MRI
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse
NICE Guidance
FDA on Gonorrhea history and symptoms
CDC on Gonorrhea history and symptoms
Gonorrhea history and symptoms in the news
Blogs on Gonorrhea history and symptoms
Directions to Hospitals Treating Gonorrhea
Risk calculators and risk factors for Gonorrhea history and symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sara Mehrsefat, M.D. [2], Priyamvada Singh, MBBS [3]

Overview

It is critical to obtain a detailed and thorough sexual history from the patient. Specific areas of focus when obtaining a history from a patient include number and type of sexual partners, contraception use, and previous history of sexually transmitted diseases. The majority of women with gonorrhea are asymptomatic, while others have vaginal discharge, lower abdominal pain, or pain during sexual intercourse. Common symptom of gonococcal infection in men include urethritis, which is associated with burning with urination and discharge from the penis. Either sex may also acquire gonorrhea of the throat from performing oral sex on an infected partner, usually a male partner. Such infection is asymptomatic in 90% of cases, and produces a sore throat in the remaining 10%. The incubation period is 2 to 14 days, with most of these symptoms occurring between 4–6 days after being infected. Rarely, gonorrhea may cause skin lesions and joint infection (pain and swelling in the joints) after traveling through the blood stream. Very rarely, it may settle in the heart, causing endocarditis, or in the spinal column, causing meningitis.

History and Symptoms

History

It is critical to obtain a detailed and thorough sexual history from the patient. In patients with suspected sexually transmitted diseases, the following aspects of the patient's history should be sought:

• Number and type of sexual partners
• Previous history of gonococcal infection or other sexually transmitted diseases
• Past history of similar symptoms or STDs in patient and current or past partners
• Type of contraception used
• History of sexual assault
• Reproductive history
  • Details of parity including any history of ectopic pregnancies
  • Timing of the last menstrual period
  • Assessing the possibility of pregnancy

Symptoms

Common urogenital and extragenital Infection

• Between 30–60% of women with gonorrhea are asymptomatic or have subclinical disease.
• The incubation time varies from 2 to 14 days with most symptoms occurring between days 2 and 5 after being infected from an infected partner.
• A small number of people may be asymptomatic for up to a year. They may be completely unaware that they have caught the disease, and therefore do not seek treatment. This increases the risk of complications and the chances of passing the infection on to another person.

Common symptoms of urogenital and extragenital gonococcal Infection may include the following:

Type of Gonococcal Infection	Symptoms	Images
Male Genitourinary	Thick, copious, white, yellow, or green colored discharge from penis Burning and pain while urinating Urinary frequency or urgency Painful or swollen testicles scrotal pain or swelling Decreased or abnormal urine stream may suggest stricture	Penile discharge in a patient with gonorrhea - Source: https://www.std.gov/
Female Genitourinary	Often asymptomatic (40-60%) Vaginal discharge (thin, purulent, and mildly odorous) Dyspareunia Spotting Bleeding after sexual intercourse Urinary frequency and urgency Dysuria Severe lower abdomen pain (if the infection spreads to the fallopian tubes, ovaries, endometrium)
Gonococcal proctitis (Rectal)	Often asymptomatic Anal discharge Pain on defecating Rectal bleeding Pruritus Tenesmus Bloody diarrhea
Gonococcal pharyngitis	Usually asymptomatic Mild to sever sore throat
Ophthalmia neonatorum	Occurs within 2-5 days after birth Severe white bilateral discharge Tearing Eyelids swellings	Neonatal conjunctivitis - Source: https://www.cdc.gov/

Disseminated gonococcal infection

Symptoms of disseminated gonorrheal infection may include the following:

Type of Disseminated gonorrheal infection	Symptoms	Images
Arthritis Dermatitis Syndrome	Asymptomatic genitourinary Joint or tendon pain Monoarthralgia Migratory Polyarthralgia tenosynovitis Rash commonly found below neck, palm and sole Fever	Skin lesion on foot in a patient with DGI - Source: https://www.cdc.gov/
Septic arthritis	Abrupt onset of arthritis (Knees, wrists, and ankles) Monoarthritis Oligoarthritis Without skin lesion	Gonococcal arthritis - Source: https://www.std.gov/
Gonorrhea Meningitis	As a rare complications of DGI Headache Neck pain and stiffness Fever Decreased sensorium may indicate gonococcal meningitis
Gonorrhea Endocarditis	As a rare complications of DGI Very rarely it may settle in the heart causing endocarditis Fever and chills Malaise Atypical chest pain

References

Template:WH Template:WS