What is gonorrhea?
The gonococcie or gonorrhea, also called warm pee, is caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It occurs after unprotected sex, whether the penetration is vaginal, anal or oral. According to Public Health France, the French are increasingly affected by this venereal infection. At the same time, bacterial strains have the particularity of rapidly acquiring various mechanisms of resistance to the drugs used up to now. If antibiotic resistance is observed, it is undoubtedly due to inappropriate or abusive use of the current treatment.
What are the symptoms ?
In humans, gonorrhea usually manifests as a inflammation of the urethra, which causes intense burning on urination as well as a purulent discharge from the penis. It is rare for the infection to remain asymptomatic, unlike a woman who is then more likely to transmit it. Otherwise, it is a mild inflammation of the cervix, vulva or vagina, accompanied by some yellowish discharge. Depending on sexual practices, the pain can also affect theanus or the gorge. An infant can be infected by its mother during childbirth. Then, gonorrhea is localized at eye level and can cause conjunctivitis. It can also be generalized, to cause sepsis, in other words an infection of the blood.
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How is gonorrhea diagnosed?
It is necessary to make an appointment with his attending physician. The doctor issues a prescription for a vaginal or infected organ sample. It is simply a matter of passing a cotton swab over the apparently affected areas.
For men, the diagnosis is made from the first jet of urine. The sample is sent to a medical analysis laboratory, which gives the results after 24 to 48 hours. If they are positive, the doctor recommends testing for other sexually transmitted infections. The patient is also invited to inform his recent sexual partners so that they can be tested. If necessary, they will receive treatment as soon as possible.
Anonymous testing centers are located everywhere. It is also possible to obtain medical advice and consult a doctor online at livi.fr.
How to treat gonorrhea?
It is important to be treat as soon as the first symptoms appear, in order to avoid complications such as chronic pain in the lower abdomen, infertility, infection of the testicles or even an ectopic pregnancy, that is to say in the uterine tubes.
Taking antibiotics
Treatment consists of the prescription ofantibiotics. Usually, this is a single dose of cephalosporin: either an intramuscular injection of ceftriaxone 500 mg or a cefixime tablet to be swallowed. This minute treatment quickly breaks the chain of contagiousness. In pregnant women who have previously had a sexually transmitted infection or at risk, the newborn is preventively given rifamycin drops in the eyes immediately after childbirth.
A change in therapeutic management
Faced with the proliferation of strains of gonococci resistant to antibiotics, the doctor prescribes a prior antibiogramme in order to find the one that will be the most effective. It is clear that it is mainly penicillins and tetracyclines which no longer produce the desired effect. Nevertheless, susceptibility to ceftriaxone, spectinomycin and ciprofloxacin has been established.
Specific treatment
In case of pharyngeal or anal infection, treatment may be prolonged for five days. If fever appears, hospitalization is recommended in order to set up antibiotic therapy by infusion for several days.
Additional treatment to eradicate other potential STIs
Since gonococcus is often associated with other sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia, the doctor routinely prescribes another antibiotic. This can be, for example, a single dose of azithromycin at 1 g. In all cases, a follow-up visit should be made one week after treatment for gonorrhea, to ensure complete recovery.
100% support
Medicines to treat gonorrhea are fully reimbursed by Social Security, both for the infected person and for their sexual partners. For this, the doctor prescribes the drugs on a prescription. It is then sufficient to present it to the pharmacy, with the health insurance card.
To conclude…
If symptoms persist, it is necessary to consult the doctor after three days. Do not wait for the follow-up consultation, which is automatically organized seven days after taking the antibiotics! During this time, sexual intercourse remains excluded, to avoid any risk of the bacteria spreading.
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