gonorrhea
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GC: n

S: MedicineNet.com – http://bit.do/eBW6J (last access: 29 November 2018); ANNFAMMED – http://bit.do/eBW6Y (last access: 29 November 2018).

N: 1. 1520s, from Late Latin gonorrhoia, from Greek gonos “seed” + rhoe “flow,” from rhein “to flow” (from PIE root *sreu- “to flow”). Mucus discharge was mistaken for semen. In early records often Gomoria, etc., from folk etymology association with biblical Gomorrah.
2. Sexual transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae or gonococcus.
3. Gonorrhea is spread through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. The infection is carried in semen (cum), pre-cum, and vaginal fluids. The bacteria can infect the entrance to the womb (cervix), the tube that passes urine out of the body (urethra), the rectum and, less commonly, the throat or eyes. The infection can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her baby.
4. Symptoms usually occur within two to 14 days after exposure. However, some people, usually women, infected with gonorrhea never develop noticeable symptoms. When women do develop symptoms, they tend to be mild or similar to other infections, making them more difficult to identify. Nevertheless, the signs of this common sexually transmitted disease are:

  • Men: The usual presenting complaint is one of urethritis and dysuria, accompanied by a copious purulent discharge from the penis. The incubation period ranges from 2 to more than 8 days. Other symptons might include painful, swollen testicles and peeing more than usual.
  • Women: In women, the most common site of infection is the cervix. In almost 50% of women, infection may be asymptomatic. Vaginal pruritus may be reported and / or a mucopurulent discharge may be observed. Other symptoms reported by women are pain or burning sensation while urinating, the need to urinate more frequently, vaginal bleeding between periods, bleeding after sex, pain during sex, abdominal or pelvic pain and fever.
  • On both sexes: In a minority of cases, visceral dissemination may ensue, as is seen in gonococcal arthritis and in the cutaneous manifestions of disseminated gonococcal infection. Manifestations of both genital and extragenital disease include herpetiform lesions, papules, pustules, and ulcers. Signs of gonorrhea in the anus can include itching in or around the anus, discharge from the anus and pain while defecating. Gonorrhea infections in the throat also rarely cause symptoms. If symptoms do show up, it is usually just a sore throat.

5. If gonorrhea is not treated in women, the infection can spread from the cervix to the upper genital tract and infect the uterus. The infection can also spread to the fallopian tubes, which is known as salpingitis, or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Bacteria that cause PID can damage the fallopian tubes, which can cause infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. The most common complication of gonorrhea in men is a condition called epididymitis. Men may also experience scarring of the urethra. Plus, they may also develop a painful abscess in the interior of the penis. The infection can cause reduced fertility or sterility. Both sexes can develop proctitis and anorectal infection, oropharyngeal infection and gonococcal conjunctivitis. If gonorrhea is not treated it can also spread to the blood and cause disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) and both men and women can experience arthritis, heart valve damage, or inflammation of the lining of the brain or spinal cord.
6. Gonorrhea can be quickly detected by looking at a sample of discharge or tissue under the microscope. This is called a gram stain. This method is fast, but it is not the most certain. Gonorrhea is most accurately detected with DNA tests. DNA tests are useful for screening. The ligase chain reaction (LCR) test is one of the tests. These tests can be performed on urine samples, which are easier to collect than samples from the genital area.
7. Since 1993, fluoroquinolones (i.e., ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, or levofloxacin) have been used frequently in the treatment of gonorrhea because of their high efficacy, ready availability, and convenience as a single-dose, oral therapy. However, prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae has been increasing, necessitating changes in treatment regimens. On the basis of the most recent evidence, CDC no longer recommends the use of fluoroquinolones for the treatment of gonococcal infections and associated conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Consequently, only one class of drugs, the cephalosporins, is still recommended and available for the treatment of gonorrhea.

S: 1. OED – http://bit.do/eBWrk (last access: 29 November 2018). 2. MedicineNet.com – http://bit.do/eBWuC (last access: 29 November 2018); NHS – http://bit.do/eBWuS (last access: 29 November 2018). 3. CD – http://bit.do/eBWvC (last access: 29 November 2018). 4. IPPF – http://bit.do/eBWCy (last access: 29 November 2018); NHS – http://bit.do/eBWuS (last access: 29 November 2018). 5. GPDAC – page 26 http://bit.do/eBW8J (last access: 29 Novembre 2018); WebMD – http://bit.do/eBWKw (last access: 29 November 2018); HEALTHLINE – http://bit.do/eBWNJ (last access: 29 November 2018); http://bit.do/eBWTC (last access: 29 November 2018); IPPF – http://bit.do/eBWCy (last access: 29 November 2018). 6. MEDLP – http://bit.do/eBWZh (last access: 29 November 2018). 7. NCBI – http://bit.do/eBW38 (last access: 29 November 2018).

GV: gonorrhoea (UK)

S: OED – http://bit.do/eBWrk (last access: 30 November 2018)

SYN: 1. gonococcal disease. 2. blennorrhagia, clap, gonococcal urethritis.

S: 1. TERMIUM PLUS – https://bit.ly/2Pbf77c (last access: 30 November 2018). 2. GDT – (last access: 30 November 2018).

CR: bacterium, coccus.