Gonorrhea
Other names	Gonorrhoea, gonococcal infection, gonococcal urethritis, the clap
Gonococcal lesion on the skin
Pronunciation	/ˌɡɒn.əˈɹi.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]

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, and/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 Old Testament. ^[2] The current name was first used by the Greek physician Galen before 200 CE who referred to it as "an unwanted discharge of semen". ^[2]

References