Symptoms and signs of gonorrhea. Consequences for the body of a man and woman

In the article, we will consider the first signs of gonorrhea. What is this pathology?

Gonorrhea is one of the most common infectious sexually transmitted diseases that is triggered by gonococci. It is transmitted, as a rule, through sexual contact. With gonorrhea, mucous membranes of the genitourinary system are affected, but mucous membranes of the rectum, oral cavity and nasopharynx are sometimes affected. The skin with the occurrence of this pathology is very rarely affected. Signs of gonorrhea are important to recognize in a timely manner.

Today, this pathology is considered a very serious social problem, since a huge number of people of working age are infected with it. Gonorrhea occurs in all age groups, however, adolescent children, adolescents and young people under 30 are most at risk of infection. Among adolescents, the disease is most common among girls, while among adults, in men.

The appearance of the first signs of gonorrhea in men and women can be facilitated by:

1. An increase in the number of people at risk.
2. Social disasters associated with the deterioration of sanitary and hygienic environmental conditions.
3. Promiscuous sexual intercourse.
4. The abuse of alcohol and drugs.
5. Prostitution.

The signs of gonorrhea are discussed below.

Causative agent of the disease

The causative agent of this pathology is the neisseria of gonorrhea or gonococcus. The cell walls of this microbe consist of three layers. In the outer layer there are special processes that help the infection to spread. After penetration into the human body, the microorganism with the help of these processes is firmly attached to the epithelial cells. Then gonococci penetrate through the intercellular spaces, which leads to the activation of the immune system and the development of inflammatory processes.

Cells of immune defense (neutrophils) with a blood stream belong to the place of introduction of gonococci and begin to actively destroy pathogens. However, the gonococci absorbed by them, as a rule, do not die and can continue to multiply, developing the inflammatory process. The purulent masses resulting from this process represent a large number of dead cells, inside of which there are infectious gonococci. Pus accumulates on the surfaces of the affected mucous membranes and can stand out from the urogenital canals. As this disease develops, gonorrhea pathogens spread to new areas of the mucous membranes, affecting all new organs and leading to various complications of this disease. Signs of gonorrhea in men and women then manifest themselves even more strongly.

In addition, gonococci are able to penetrate the lymphatic vessels and spread with the flow of lymph to distant organs. Very rarely, but these microbes are able to penetrate the bloodstream, which leads to the development of various purulent complications.

It should be noted that gonococci have very high stability and, under the influence of certain factors, they are able to transform into L-forms that are not able to reproduce. Nevertheless, they can survive for a long time in the most adverse conditions, and then re-activate.

They die when the liquids with which they were excreted from the body dry out, and when heated to 40–50 degrees, gonococci die almost immediately, just like when they enter a soap or saline solution. In addition, gonococci are very sensitive to the bulk of antibacterial agents and antiseptics.

Gonorrhea infections

The source of infection with gonococci is, as a rule, a sick person who often does not know that he is a carrier of this infection, since this disease can occur in a latent form. The following methods of transmission of the disease are known:

1. Signs of gonorrhea in women often appear after unprotected sex. This is the most common way of infection, in which pathogens pass to a healthy person. Nevertheless, sexual intimacy with the carrier of the infection is not always able to lead to the development of the disease. After a single contact, a man gets sick in about 20% of cases, while a woman after contact with an infected man gets sick in 80% of cases. This difference is due to the anatomical structure of the urethra in women and men, which is wider and shorter in women, which contributes to the rapid penetration of the infection.
2. Contact-home transmission route for gonococcus. An infection can enter the body through household items - towels, bedding, washcloths, linen, etc. This pathogen pathway is very rare - in about 1% of cases, which is explained by the low resistance of gonococcal infection to environmental conditions.
3. Vertical way. This method of transmission of gonococcus is characterized by infection of the fetus during passage through the birth canal. In this case, the causative agents of the disease can affect the mucous membrane of the eye, mouth and genitals of the child. Not everyone knows the signs of gonorrhea.
   

Gonorrhea incubation period

This period is a period of time starting at the moment of penetration of infection agents into the body until the first clinical signs of pathology appear. The incubation period after infection with gonococcus lasts from 10 hours to several weeks, which is due to some features of the pathogen and the immunity of a particular patient. On average, in men, symptoms appear after 4-5 days, the first signs of gonorrhea in women occur 7-10 days after contact. A longer incubation period is observed in older people and in people with weak immune defenses. The shortest - with a high dose of the pathogen obtained by contact. Frequent change of partners is considered one of the most significant factors in the spread of gonococcus.

Signs of gonorrhea in women are presented below.

Types of disease

In medical practice, it is customary to classify this disease depending on the incubation period, the rate of development of the disease and the severity of its clinical manifestations. It is very important to accurately determine the form of gonorrhea, since the diagnosis and treatment tactics depend on this.

In accordance with the foregoing, emit:

• Fresh
• chronic
• latent gonorrhea.

The signs of gonorrhea are different at all stages.

Symptoms and main signs of the disease

What are the signs of gonorrhea in men:

1. Acute urethritis.
2. Pain and itching in the urethra, which occurs most often in the morning.
3. Pain during ejaculation.
4. Discharge from the urethra. As a rule, they are characterized by purulent contents of a thick consistency of yellow or greenish color, with an unpleasant odor. They also appear most often in the morning.
5. Isolation of blood from the urethra. They are minor and are associated with damage to the urethral mucosa.
6. Hemospermia, which is the appearance of a small amount of blood in semen.
7. Impaired urination.
8. Temperature rise. The temperature in gonorrhea can be normal, but the development of acute urethritis is often accompanied by its increase to 38 degrees. When purulent joins the inflammatory process, the temperature can rise even up to 40 degrees. These are the main symptoms and signs of gonorrhea in men.
   

In women, the disease is often asymptomatic, and only about 15% of patients seek medical help.

Symptoms of the disease in women:

1. Profuse purulent or mucopurulent discharge from the urethra, which intensifies in the morning after sleep.
2. Inflammatory changes in the vestibule of the vagina in the form of redness, swelling and soreness of the mucosa.
3. Itching and burning in the urethra, which intensifies, as a rule, at the beginning of urination or during sexual intercourse.
4. The temperature rises to 38 degrees.

When do women show signs of gonorrhea?

It should be noted that the asymptomatic course of the disease does not reduce the likelihood of its various complications. Skin lesions resulting from gonococci are very rare. This is due to the fact that for the occurrence of the disease, the pathogen must get on the skin in an active state, and gonococci, as a rule, die very quickly in the environment. If infection does occur, the infection penetrates through damage to the skin and causes the development of inflammatory reactions at the site of introduction of the pathogen. This is manifested by the formation of small ulcerations with hyperemic edges. Similar defects are located in the frenum of the penis and in the pubic region and on the inner surfaces of the thighs.

Methods for diagnosing the disease

Diagnosing gonorrhea is quite simple. To do this, it is enough to ask the patient in detail about the period of onset of symptoms. If gonorrhea is suspected, the patient and his sexual partner should undergo an examination and pass a series of laboratory tests.

Diagnosis of this disease includes:

1. A smear on gonorrhea.
2. Methods of provoking gonorrhea.
3. Sowing.
4. Polymerase chain reaction.
5. Instrumental methods.

Signs of gonorrhea (photos can be found in open sources) can only be recognized by a competent specialist.

Gonorrhea smears

This diagnostic method is considered the most reliable way to detect gonococcal infection. The essence of such a study is that the patient takes biomaterial, which supposedly contains gonococci. They can be discharge from the vagina, urethra, rectum, plaque from the nasopharyngeal mucosa, etc. The resulting material is transferred to a special glass and stained with a special dye that penetrates the structures of infectious agents and stains them, as a result of which they are easily detected under a microscope . This method is effective only in the presence of an acute form of gonorrhea, when the pathogen is excreted from the urethra along with pus. In the chronic form of the disease, it is not always possible to isolate gonococci with conventional smears. The first signs of gonorrhea in the photo can not be seen.

Gonorrhea provocation method

A similar method is used in cases where it was not possible to detect gonococcus using bacterioscopic studies. The essence of the provocative method is that it helps to stimulate the release of gonococcus, which significantly increases the likelihood of determining the presence of infection during the subsequent sampling of biomaterial. The essence of such a provocation is that the patient is injected intramuscularly with a gonococcal inactivated vaccine that contains inactive gonococci in which antibodies are preserved. These cells stimulate the immune system, contributing to the active absorption of gonococcus neutrophils and their secretion with pus.

Sowing for gonorrhea

A bacteriological study of this nature is included in the list of mandatory tests for suspected gonococcal infection. The essence of such a study is that the biomaterial is transferred to a special nutrient medium on which gonococcus grows best. With such inoculation, even a small amount of infectious agents begins to multiply actively, as a result of which gonococcal colonies form on the nutrient medium. This diagnostic method allows you to confirm the diagnosis, as well as determine the type of pathogen in order to establish antibacterial agents to which this species is most sensitive.

Instrumental methods for determining gonococcal infection

Similar techniques include:

1. Urethroscopy
2. Colposcopy
3. Cervicoscopy

The effects of gonorrhea

Despite the fact that this infectious disease is not very dangerous for the human body, if untreated, it can cause a number of unpleasant consequences, which will be much more difficult to cure. The consequences of gonorrhea include:

1. The defeat of the female organs, which contributes to the development of infertility.
2. Ectopic pregnancy.
3. Increased risk of AIDS infection.
4. Chronic urethritis.
5. Pain in the pelvic area.
6. Pain during sexual intercourse.
7. In pregnant women, the probability of spontaneous miscarriage increases significantly.
8. The risk of developing malignant tumors.
9. Prostatitis and impotence.
10. Diseases of other organs - the heart, liver, and kidneys (with the spread of gonococcus through the blood).
    

Gonorrhea treatment

This infectious disease is very treatable even in cases of severe illness. Doctors urge not to try to cure this disease on their own, since often such actions are fraught with the transition of the infection into a chronic form. It should be noted that when gonococcus is detected, all sexual partners who have had contact with the patient for two months are treated.

Treatment of this pathology involves the use of antibacterial medications. In recent years, gonococcal infection has become resistant to the antibacterial agents of the penicillin series, and in this regard, at the present stage, other groups of such medicines are prescribed to patients. In acute gonorrhea, the use of etiotropic therapy is sufficient, which affects the cause of the disease, and in the development of a chronic, latent form of gonorrhea, complex therapy is prescribed to patients after determining the sensitivity of the infectious agent to antibiotics.

In mixed forms of the disease, the main treatment can be combined with immunotherapy and local procedures.

We examined the first signs of gonorrhea and learned everything necessary in order to recognize the occurrence of this ailment.