Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea
Other names	Gonorrhoea, gonococcal infection, gonococcal urethritis, the clap
Gonococcal lesion on the skin
Pronunciation	/ˌɡɒn.əˈri.ə/
Specialty	Infectious disease
Symptoms	None, burning with urination, vaginal discharge, discharge from the penis, pelvic pain, testicular pain[1]
Complications	Pelvic inflammatory disease, inflammation of the epididymis, septic arthritis, endocarditis[1][2]
Causes	Neisseria gonorrhoeae typically sexually transmitted[1]
Diagnostic method	Testing the urine, urethra in males, or cervix in females[1]
Prevention	Condoms, having sex with only one person who is uninfected, not having sex[1][3]
Treatment	Ceftriaxone by injection and azithromycin by mouth[4][5]
Frequency	0.8% (women), 0.6% (men)[6]

Gonorrhoea or gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae.^[1] Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum.^[7] Infected men may experience pain or burning with urination, discharge from the penis, or testicular pain.^[1] Infected women may experience burning with urination, vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding between periods, or pelvic pain.^[1] Complications in women include pelvic inflammatory disease and in men include inflammation of the epididymis.^[1] Many of those infected, however, have no symptoms.^[1] If untreated, gonorrhea can spread to joints or heart valves.^[1][2]

Gonorrhea is spread through sexual contact with an infected person.^[1] This includes oral, anal, and vaginal sex.^[1] It can also spread from a mother to a child during birth.^[1] Diagnosis is by testing the urine, urethra in males, or cervix in females.^[1] Testing all women who are sexually active and less than 25 years of age each year as well as those with new sexual partners is recommended;^[3] the same recommendation applies in men who have sex with men (MSM).^[3]

Gonorrhea can be prevented with the use of condoms, having sex with only one person who is uninfected, and by not having sex.^[1][3] Treatment is usually with ceftriaxone by injection and azithromycin by mouth.^[4][5] Resistance has developed to many previously used antibiotics and higher doses of ceftriaxone are occasionally required.^[4][5] Retesting is recommended three months after treatment.^[3] Sexual partners from the last two months should also be treated.^[1]

Gonorrhea affects about 0.8% of women and 0.6% of men.^[6] An estimated 33 to 106 million new cases occur each year, out of the 498 million new cases of curable STI – which also includes syphilis, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis.^[8][9] Infections in women most commonly occur when they are young adults.^[3] In 2015, it caused about 700 deaths.^[10] Descriptions of the disease date back to before the Common Era within the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (Leviticus 15:2–3).^{[2][dubious – discuss]}. The current name was first used by the Greek physician Galen before AD 200 who referred to it as "an unwanted discharge of semen".^[2]