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Gonorrhea - Overview

Alternative Names

Clap; The drip

Definition of Gonorrhea:

Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Gonorrhea is caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhea. Anyone who has any type of sex can catch gonorrhea. The infection can be spread by contact with the mouth, vagina, penis, or anus.

The bacteria grow in warm, moist areas of the body, including the tube that carries urine out of the body (urethra). In women, the bacteria may be found in the reproductive tract (which includes the fallopian tubes, uterus, and cervix). The bacteria can even grow in the eyes.

Health care providers in every state in the U.S. are required by law to tell their State Board of Health about anyone diagnosed with gonorrhea. The goal of this law is make sure the patient gets proper follow-up care and that their sexual partners are found and tested.

More than 700,000 persons in the United States get gonorrhea every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Gonorrhea is more common in large cities, inner-city areas, populations with lower overall levels of education and people with lower socioeconomic status.

You are more likely to develop this infection if you:

Have multiple sexual partners
Have a partner with a past history of any sexually transmitted disease
Do not use a condom during sex
Are a man who has sexual contact with another man
Have a drug addiction

Reviewed last on: 5/30/2009
Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Update to CDC's Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines, 2006: Fluoroquinolones No Longer Recommended for Treatment of Gonococcal Infections. MMWR. 2007; 56(14);332-336.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Gonorrhea: Recommendation Statement. Am Fam Physician. Nov. 1, 2005; 72(9); 1783-1786.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2007. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, December 2008.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Gonorrhea: Recommendation Statement. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. May 2005. Accessed April 5, 2009.

Bamberger DM. Gonorrhea. In: Rakel P, Bope ET, eds. Conn’s Current Therapy 2008. 60th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 184.

Bauer HM, Wohlfeiler D, Klausner JD, Guerry S, Gunn RA, Bolan G. California Guidelines for Expedited Partner Therapy for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 2008 Mar;35(3):314-319.

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