What is Gonorrhea ?
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted disease that can affect both men and women. It is called by a bacterium Neisseria Gonorrhoeae, which grows and multiplies in the cervix, uterus and the fallopian tube in women and in the urethra in both men and women. It can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes and anus.

The gonorrhea symptoms differ from men and women. For women, the primary affected area is cervix. However, if not treated properly, this often spreads to uterus and fallopian tubes. It can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes and anus. Gonorrhea symptoms in the throat may cause a sore throat, or a pus filled growth in the tonsil at the back of the throat, and difficulty in swallowing. Symptoms depend on the site where the bacteria was introduced, the duration of infection and whether the infection has localized or spread.

Symptoms in males and females
Gonorrhea symptoms in male include pus like discharge from the urethra with a burning sensation during urination and increase in the frequency of urination. Females complaining about vaginal discharge, difficulty in urinating excessive menstrual bleeding or bleeding after sexual intercourse are the initial gonorrhea symptoms. Approximately 15% of females with infection of inside the mouth of the uterus, the infection extend into the fallopian tubes causing what is known as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease or PID.

Left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to serious and permanent health problems and long term organ damage for both men and women. Untreated gonorrhea in women results in serious infection in the reproductive tract. It may cause complicated pregnancy which might prove a life threat to the mother as well as the child. Gonorrhea can lead to various other long term and serious diseases if it is not taken care off at the initial stage. Some of them are:

1. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)-This is perhaps the most serious complaint in women infected with gonorrhea. PID can seriously damage the fallopian tube in a woman, thus resulting in complicated pregnancy where a fertilized egg develops outside the uterus inside the fallopian tube.

2. Epididymitis- In men gonorrhea can lead to painful condition affecting the testicles, which might lead to infertility.

3. HIV/AIDS- Since the immunity level gets lowered, people infected with gonorrhea can easily contract HIV and they can transmit the virus to someone else.

4. Arthritis, Meningitis and Endocarditis- The gonorrhea bacterium blocks the mucous membrane in the different parts of the body, this lead to inflammation of joints (arthritis) inflammation in the brain (meningitis) and infection of the heart (endocarditis).

5. Infant blindness- Mothers with gonorrhea can pass the infection to their babies during childbirth, which if left untreated can lead to permanent blindness.

Risk Factors
There are many risk factors for gonorrhea. Primary factors are:

-Indulging in unsafe sex

-Having sex with more than one person

-Being in a sexual relationship with someone who has multiple sexual partners

Prevention
Using condoms during sexual intercourse are a major protection against gonorrhea. And the most important factor is to reduce the number of sex-partners.

Detection and Treatment
The most reliable method of detecting gonorrhea infection is laboratory culture testing. Special tests must be done in order to detect the bacterial organism responsible for the disease. Different samples of body discharge like the urethra (where you pass urine), the cervix (opening of the womb), the rectum or the throat are taken and incubated in the laboratory so see if gonorrhea bacteria grow from the sample. Normally it takes about two days for the infection to be detected.

There are several antibiotics that can successfully cure gonorrhea in adults and adolescents. Antibiotic treatment varies depending upon where the infection is located. This would not repair whatever damage has been done permanently but prevent further infection. Early detection and immediate medication are the only way to prevent serious and permanent damage. Gonorrhea does not require a follow-up after treatment but patients are advised to stay away from sex during that time.

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