Gonorrhea is the most common venereal disease in the world. It is a bacteria that cause gonorrhea to transmit through unsafe sex or to come into contact with genital fluids, and this bacterium contain the disease. It is noteworthy, that women have a higher tolerance for the disease than men.
Therefore it is less likely for women to manifest signs of the disease than men, something you should keep in mind.
Vulnerable group
The vulnerable group in this instance is persons with exposure to unprotected sex, people with multiple sex partners, and furthermore drug addicts sharing intravenous needles.
These persons should have regular gonorrhea tests to contain any possible infection.
Clinical Signs in Men
The signs of the disease in men and women differ due to the difference in anatomy and tolerance.
In men, the symptoms may come after a few weeks of infection, and pain while urinating, and is a clear indication of gonorrhea. But should not be the decider of diagnosis. After some time, other manifestations come out.
Symptoms in men
- Constant urge to urinate
- Milky pus oozing from the penis
- Inflammation of the testicles
- Painful swelling of the penis
- Redness color of the penis
- And sometimes a sore throat
Clinical Signs in Women
Women have a low manifestation of the disease, because it is common for women to have urinary tract illnesses. Therefore, when the symptoms of gonorrhea come out, women can easily confuse it with vaginal yeast and other several bacterial infections, common to women. Nevertheless, the common gonorrhea symptoms are:
- Unusual vaginal discharge
- Constant urge to urinate
- Pain or itchy feeling when urinating
- Heavy menses
- Fever
- Pelvic pain
- Sore throat
- Pain when having sex
Read More: Gonorrhea general information
Gonorrhea in Other Parts of the Body
If you do go not seek treatment, the bacteria may spread to infect other body parts. Primarily, gonorrhea attacks any body part with a mucous membrane. Some of those include the rectum the throat, and the eyes.
The Rectum
Cases of spreading of gonorrhea through anal sex are rampant, and you should not ignore the risk. The riskof getting gonorrhea is more common in gay communities and heterosexuals engaging in anal sex. Symptoms of anal gonorrhea include:
- Pain in the anus
- Itchy feeling around the anus
- Inflammation in the rectum
Read More: Gonorrhea in the Anus and Rectum
Throat
Practicing oral sex with a person infected with gonorrhea is an exposure to the disease. The gonococcal bacterium can infect your throat through the saliva, and many of the symptoms resemble common fever, cold and the flu. When this happens, your body displays these signs:
- Fever
- Swelling of your lymph glands
- Sore and hoarse throat
- Fever and headaches
The Eye
The contact of the gonococcal bacterium with the eyes brings about gonorrhea of the eye. It is not common, yet the most damaging. The disease damages the cornea and optical nerves, thus causing blindness. Some of the signs are:
- Redness of the eye
- Thick sticky discharge from the eye
- Poor vision
Read More: Gonorrhea in the Eye
Read More: Testing and Diagnosis of Gonorrhea
References
https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-019-4035-y
https://www.gardp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/STI_Gonorrhea_Strategy_Proposal.pdf