Gonorrhea, hot piss, gonorrhea or gonorrhea: definition

Gonorrhea, commonly known as “hot-piss”, urethritis, gonorrhea or gonorrhea, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It has been on the rise in France since 1998, like most STIs.

Gonorrhea is more often detected in men than in women, possibly because in men it causes obvious signs while in more than half of women this infection does not cause any visible signs. Men aged 21 to 30 and young women aged 16 to 25 are most affected by the diagnosis of this sexually transmitted infection (STI)

It can infect the penis and vagina, urethra, rectum, throat, and sometimes eyes. In women, the cervix can also be damaged.

In Canada, the number of new cases of gonorrhea has more than doubled in the past 10 years and the proportion of cases resistant to antibiotics is steadily increasing.

Causes

Gonorrhea is spread during unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex with an infected partner, by the exchange of biological fluids and the contact of the mucous membranes. It is rarely transmitted by cunnilingus.

Gonorrhea can also be passed to a newborn baby from an infected mother during childbirth, causing an eye infection.

Symptoms of gonorrhea 

Signs of gonorrhea or gonorrhea usually appear 2 5 days in after the time of infection in men but they can probably take around ten days in women, probably sometimes longer. Infection can appear in the rectum, penis, cervix, or throat. In women, the infection goes unnoticed in more than half of the cases, causing no particular signs.

The most common course of untreated gonococcal urethritis in men is disappearance of symptoms : Symptoms may disappear in more than 95% of men within 6 months. The infection persists, however, as long as it is not treated. In the absence of treatment or in case of failure, the risk of transmission remains, and makes the bed of complications as well as sequelae.

In humans

• Purulent and greenish-yellow discharge from the urethra,
• Difficulty urinating,
• Intense burning sensation when urinating,
• Tingling in the urethra,
• Pain or swelling in the testicles,
• Pain or discharge from the rectum.
• A man showing these signs should talk to his partner because she may not show any signs, even if she is a carrier of the bacteria.

And in 1% of cases, men show little or none of these signs.

In women

Most women don’t have any signs of gonorrhea, and that’s between 70% and 90% of cases! When they exist, these symptoms are often confused with those of a urinary or vaginal infection:

• Purulent, yellowish or sometimes bloody vaginal discharge;
• Irritation vulvaire;
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding;
• Pelvic pain or heaviness;
• Pain during sex;
• Burning sensations when passing urine and difficulty passing urine.

In case of unprotected sex, screening should be done, along with screening for chlamidiae.

Symptoms of anorectal gonorrhea

It is especially common in men who have sex with men (MSM) and can present with the following signs:

• Itching in the anus,
• Inflammation of the anus,
• Purulent discharge from the anus,
• Diarrhea,
• Bleeding through the anus,
• Discomfort in defecating …

Gonorrhea of ​​the mouth and throat is often not associated with no noticeable sign. Sometimes there may be pharyngitis or sore throat that resolves on its own. This oropharhyngeal gonorrhea is present in 10 to 40% of MSM (men who have sex with men), 5 to 20% of women who already have vaginal or anorectal gonorrhea, and 3 to 10% of heterosexual people.

Eye involvement is rare in adults. It occurs by self-infection; the affected person with gonorrhea in the sexual area and bringing the germs to their eyes with their hands. The signs are:

• Swelling of the eyelids,
• Thick and profuse secretions,
• Sensation of a grain of sand in the eye,
• Ulcerations or perforation of the cornea.

Possible complications

In women, gonorrhea can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, that is, an infection of the reproductive organs of the fallopian tubes, ovaries and uterus. It can be the cause of infertility, increase the risk of ectopic pregnancies and be the cause of chronic pelvic pain.

In men, gonorrhea can cause inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis) or testicles (epididymitis), which can lead to infertility.

Gonorrhea also increases the chances of transmitting HIV.

On the other hand, a newborn baby infected by its mother can suffer from serious eye problems orblood infections (sepsis).

Inflammation of Bartholin’s glands

In women, the most frequently observed complications are inflammation of the para-urethral glands and Bartholin’s glands, infection of the uterus (endometritis) and infection of the tubes (salpingitis), often progressing without causing any particular signs. Later, as the infection progresses, pelvic pain, infertility or the risk of ectopic pregnancy may occur. This is because the tubes can become blocked by gonococcal infection.

Some studies show that between 10 and 40% of untreated gonococcal infections of the cervix (gonococcal cervicitis) progress to pelvic inflammatory disease. However, no longitudinal study making it possible to assess the percentage of gonorrhea giving rise to the main complications, and in particular the risk of infertility, does not allow it to be quantified in France.

Tubal infection

In comparison with infection with Chlamidiae trachomatis, complications associated with gonorrhea

are less frequent. Both can, however, lead to tubal infection (salpingitis) with the risk of infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Generalized forms of gonorrhea are rare. They can present in the form of subacute sepsis (circulation of gonococcal-type bacteria in the blood), and can be accompanied by damage to the skin. Disseminated gonorrhea can also manifest in the form of osteoarticular attacks: subfebrile polyarthritis, purulent arthritis, tenosynovitis;

Risk factors

• Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a high risk population;
• People with more than one sexual partner;
• People with a partner who has other sexual partners;
• People who use condoms inconsistently;
• People under 25, sexually active men, women or adolescents;
• People who have already contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the past;
• People who are seropositive for HIV (AIDS virus);
• Sex workers;
• Drug users;
• People in prison;
• People who go to the toilet without washing their hands systematically (ocular gonorrhea).

When to consult?

After one unsafe unsafe sex, consult the doctor for screening tests.

In case of signs of genital infection, burns when urinating in men.