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Gonorrhea
What causes asymptomatic gonorrhea?
Most patients with gonorrhea have clinical manifestations, and only a few with mild or chronic infections may not exhibit obvious symptoms. Gonorrhea is caused by an infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae, commonly known as gonococcus. It primarily manifests as a purulent infection of the urinary and reproductive systems, and can also lead to pharyngeal, rectal, and disseminated gonococcal infections. It has a short incubation period, is highly contagious, and can lead to various complications and sequelae. Gonorrhea is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, with the patient being the source of infection. In rare cases, it can be contracted through contact with secretions containing gonococci or contaminated items, such as clothing, bedding, towels, bathtubs, and toilet seats. Females, including young girls, due to the short length of the urethra and genitalia, are easily infected. It is often through shared family use of bath items and towels that infection occurs. Newborns can be infected through the birth canal of a mother with gonorrhea, leading to neonatal gonococcal conjunctivitis. Pregnant women infected with gonorrhea may transmit the bacteria to the amniotic fluid, potentially infecting the fetus.
What are the symptoms of gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is mainly a type of infectious skin disease caused by infection with gonococcus. Symptoms of gonorrhea differ between men and women, with men generally presenting more obvious symptoms. Typically, men show early symptoms of gonorrhea about a week after infection with gonococcus, including purulent discharge at the urethral opening, accompanied by symptoms such as frequent urination, urgent urination, and painful urination. In women, gonorrhea usually manifests as cervicitis, with purulent or bloody discharge from the vagina. Many women do not notice early symptoms of gonorrhea, which if ignored can lead to delays in treatment and may result in gonococcal pelvic inflammatory disease. Severe cases can lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancies. If gonorrhea is suspected, it is important to visit a reputable hospital and undergo treatment with antibiotics under the guidance of a doctor.
Has gonorrhea gotten better if there is no more pus discharge?
Gonorrhea no longer discharging pus does not necessarily indicate improvement. True improvement can only be confirmed by testing negative. The standard treatment for gonorrhea involves an intramuscular injection of cephalosporin-class medication. Symptoms must be completely controlled, and follow-up checks should be conducted two to three times subsequently. Only if all tests are negative can it be declared cured. If the disease is still detected, further treatment is necessary, and avoiding sexual activity during treatment is crucial. Sexual partners must also be examined. Common complications of gonorrhea include, in males, gonococcal urethritis, which due to improper treatment, alcohol abuse, or sexual activity, may develop further, spreading to the posterior urethra and causing complications such as posterior urethritis, prostatitis, seminal vesiculitis, and epididymitis. These conditions can cause repeated inflammation, leading to scars, urethral stricture, or even blockage of the vas deferens, potentially resulting in infertility. In females, the main complication is gonococcal pelvic inflammatory disease, including acute salpingitis, endometritis, secondary tubo-ovarian abscess and complications from rupture like pelvic cysts and peritonitis. Misdiagnosis or mistreatment can easily advance to pelvic and adnexal infections. Recurring episodes may cause fallopian tube constriction, leading to ectopic pregnancy, infertility, or chronic lower abdominal pain.
Can gonorrhea be detected during the incubation period?
Gonorrhea can be detected during the incubation period, and the probability is relatively high. The incubation period of gonorrhea refers to a period without symptoms before clinical symptoms appear. During the incubation period, it is possible to perform a culture for gonococci by taking cultures from the urogenital tract, where the sensitivity generally exceeds 95%.
Can gonorrhea be transmitted through a washing machine?
The probability of transmitting gonorrhea through a washing machine is very low, but it is still recommended to wash separately for safety. Gonorrhea is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, with patients of the disease being the source of infection. In a few cases, it can also be transmitted through contact with secretions containing gonococci, or through contaminated items such as clothing, bedding, towels, bathtubs, and toilets. Gonococci do not grow well outside the human body and have poor resistance to physical and chemical factors. They can survive for 15 minutes at 42°C, only 5 minutes at 52°C, and die within 1 minute at 60°C. In completely dry environments, they die within 1-2 hours, but in not completely dry environments, and in solutions, they can maintain infectivity for more than ten hours, or even several days. However, gonococci are very sensitive to common disinfectants. If sharing a washing machine, you can add hot water or a disinfectant for washing.
Can gonorrhea and AIDS occur at the same time?
Gonorrhea and AIDS are both sexually transmitted diseases, and their transmission routes can be through sexual contact, mother-to-child transmission, and close living contact. The pathogens are different; gonorrhea is mainly caused by an infection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae leading to acute inflammation of the urogenital tract, while AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease caused by an HIV infection, which can affect various organs throughout the body. When infected with one sexually transmitted disease, other pathogens can also infect simultaneously. Therefore, after diagnosing one sexually transmitted disease, it is important to check for the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, genital warts, syphilis, etc., to see if there is a co-infection.
How to diagnose and treat a patient with AIDS who also has gonorrhea?
Patients with AIDS who are also infected with gonorrhea need simultaneous treatment and management. If the AIDS is still in its early stage and the CD4 cells are in a high state, gonorrhea can be treated first, as its treatment is relatively straightforward, primarily involving the use of potent antibiotics. Usually, a course of treatment lasting about one to two weeks can essentially cure it. After curing gonorrhea, anti-HIV treatment can be administered, which tends to be more effective. Both gonorrhea and AIDS are sexually transmitted diseases and can easily co-infect.
Gonorrhea infection route
Gonorrhea is primarily a sexually transmitted disease caused by infection with the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterium. The main transmission routes include sexual contact, close living contact such as sharing bathtubs and toilet seats, and mother-to-child transmission. After infection, the symptoms of gonorrhea differ between males and females. Males typically exhibit signs of acute urethritis, characterized by urethral pain and discharge; females, on the other hand, generally show no symptoms, or only mild signs of cervical inflammation.
Is mycoplasma infection considered gonorrhea?
Mycoplasma infection is not gonorrhea. Mycoplasma infection often tends to invade the respiratory and genitourinary systems clinically, and it is a different type of disease from gonorrhea. Gonorrhea is one of the most common and prevalent sexually transmitted diseases in the clinic, mainly transmitted through unclean sexual activities. On the other hand, mycoplasma is mostly transmitted through airborne droplets, which can easily cause bronchopneumonia. It is necessary to use macrolide antibiotics intravenously in a timely manner to eliminate mycoplasma, drink plenty of water, rest enough, and prevent complications.
Is gonorrhea serious?
Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the infection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Its primary mode of transmission is through sexual contact, though some patients can also be infected through direct contact, mother-to-child transmission, or close living contact. Early symptoms of gonorrhea in males can include acute urethritis, painful urination, and frequent urination, with pus from the urethral opening in the morning. In females, the symptoms of gonorrhea are generally atypical, possibly presenting only as mild vaginitis or cervicitis. After a diagnosis of gonorrhea, comprehensive formal treatment is necessary. Without proper treatment, gonorrhea can recur and become chronic.