How does Gonococcal Arthritis affect a teenager’s life?

Gonococcal Arthritis is an inflammatory condition of the joints caused as a complication of gonorrhea infection by Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria. It mostly affects sexually active teen girls than men.
Gonococcal arthritis is the most common form of septic arthritis among sexually active people with multiple partners.

Symptoms of Gonococcal Arthritis:

Gonococcal arthritis develops in about 50% of people who are infected with gonorrhea. The symptoms of gonorrheal arthritis are:
• Polyarthralgia or pain in multiple joints.
• Sometimes migratory pain.
• Tenosynovitis or inflammation of the tendons.
• Skin rash which is pink in color later turns red and finally purple in color. In some of the cases, the rashes are filled with pus.
• Fever
• Pain and burning during and after micturition.
• Pain and redness at affected joints.
• Decreased ability to move the joint.
• Sudden onset of pain.
• In some cases, a headache is accompanied by pain in joints.
• Irregular menstruation.
• Sore throat.
• Painful sexual intercourse.
• Pain in the lower abdomen, pelvis, testicle or vaginas.
• Abnormal vaginal discharged or discharge from the tip of the penis.

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Causes:

Gonococcal arthritis is caused by a complication of gonorrhea. The infection is sexually transmitted and mostly seen in sexually active women/girls. Gonococcal arthritis is a condition when the bacteria affect joints of the body causing inflammation of the joints.
Gonorrhea is transmitted sexually from one partner to another during sexual encounters, which include oral, anal or vaginal Intercourse.

Risk factors :

• Women are at higher risk of developing gonococcal arthritis.
• Unprotected sexual encounters with multiple partners.
• Having sex with a sex partner who has multiple sex partners.
• History of gonorrhea infection.
• Having other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Young women are at higher risk.

Complications of Gonococcal Arthritis

Untreated gonococcal arthritis can lead to the following complications:
• Infertility in men.
• Infertility in females.
• Increased risk of getting infected with other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Infections can spread from joints to other parts of the body like eyes, rectum or throat.
• Babies born to mothers who are infected with gonorrhea at the time of birth can develop blindness, sores on the scalp and some other infections too.

Prevention and Diagnosis of Gonococcal Arthritis

How to prevent getting this condition?

Gonococcal arthritis can be prevented by reducing the risk of getting infected. To reduce the chances of getting infected with gonorrhea one must use the following precautions:
• Using condoms while having sex with a new partner. Which includes using a condom during indulging either in oral, anal or vaginal sex.
• Go for screening regularly to the doctor to get screened for gonorrhea infection.
• Having sex only with reliable sex partners, who are tested negative to all sexually transmitted diseases.
• Do not have sexual Intercourse who has unusual symptoms such as burning sensation, unusual discharge or rashes on their genitals.

Diagnosis

Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria which causes gonorrhea is very fragile micro-organism which makes it very difficult to culture, so samples of blood, synovial liquid, genitourinary tract, rectum, pharynx and skin lesions must be sent for culture before starting any antibiotics.

Gonorrhea: Risk Factors, Diagnosis and Prevention

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