Manifestations of gonorrhea in men in the early stages

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Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection that is common among men and women of reproductive age. Gonorrhea has the ability to spread quickly, but not everyone knows how to prevent and recognize the signs of the disease.

1. Manifestations of gonorrhea in the early stages

1.1 Urethritis

This is the most common manifestation of gonorrhea in men.
After 1 time having vaginal sex with an infected person, about 25% of men will get the disease.
About 85% of male patients with urethritis caused by gonorrhea will have acute manifestations with unpleasant symptoms such as:
Painful urination and pus: Symptoms of pus in the urethra are specific symptoms of the disease. gonorrhea, pus is usually yellow or greenish yellow, in large quantities, causing anxiety in patients. Swollen and red mouth flute. The incubation period is 1-14 days, usually 2-5 days. If the patient is left untreated, the acute symptoms will subside after a few days to a few weeks. About 25% of patients have no obvious symptoms, may present with urethral discharge but not much and clear color, difficult to distinguish from cases of non-gonococcal urethritis.
Some patients have no symptoms, this is the source of dangerous disease in the community due to lack of prevention.
Whether the patient is symptomatic or asymptomatic, if not treated, it can lead to local complications such as:
Posterior urethritis causing painful urinary incontinence. Epididymitis. Inflammation of the seminal vesicles and acute or chronic prostatitis. Cowper's gland inflammation. Tyson's gland inflammation.

1.2 Anal - rectal infections

Anal infections are common in men who have sex with men, proctitis is less common. Patients may have symptoms such as:
Anal itching . Mucus discharge from the anus but no pain. Sometimes there is rectal bleeding. Severe proctitis presents with pain, straining, possibly diarrhea, mucus or pus, and constipation. On examination, the anus is red, with pus. When examining the anus, it will be red and edematous, the mucosa is easy to bleed, with mucus or pus.

1.3 Oropharyngeal infections

The proportion of patients with oropharyngeal infections caused by gonorrhea during heterosexual sex is about 3-7%, and this rate increases to 10-25% of men who have sex with men. About 90% of patients have symptoms. Manifestations of oropharyngeal infection caused by gonorrhea:
Pharyngitis. Acute tonsillitis. Sometimes the patient has fever and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

1.4 Infections in other organs

Conjunctivitis of the eye: Very rare in adults, caused by self-infection of gonorrhea bacteria from the genital - anal area, or by sharing a washcloth with an infected person. Skin infections from gonorrhea can occur with sores on the genitals, perineum, thighs, and fingers.

2. Common complications of gonorrhea in men

2.1. Local complications

Epididymitis: The most common complication. Today, epididymitis is more commonly caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, or by a combination of the two. The patient will have symptoms such as swelling on one side of the scrotum, pain, and urethritis. Lymphangiitis: Rare. Inflammation of the seminal vesicles: Rare. Prostatitis : Rare. Urethral stricture: Very rare. Periurethral abscess: Very rare.

2.2. Whole body complications

Systemic gonorrhea infection: This is the most common complication of systemic complications of gonorrhea in men. About 0.5-3% of patients with untreated acute gonorrhea will experience this complication. The manifestations of this condition are: Painful necrotic pustules on a red background but sometimes burning, papules, simple pustules, vesicles, hemorrhages. Joint pain, bursitis tendonitis in the knee, wrist, ankle and finger and toe joints. Sepsis due to gonorrhea: Difficult to determine clinically, culture test for gonorrhea is also difficult, positive rate is only 20-30%. Meningitis, gonorrhea pericarditis: This is a very serious complication, which can damage the heart valve, usually the aortic valve, endangering the patient's life. The above are the symptoms of gonorrhea in men as well as the dangerous complications that this disease can cause for the patient. Today, gonorrhea can be completely cured if detected early and the patient adheres to the doctor's treatment regimen. Therefore, people need to know the signs of this disease so that it can be detected and treated promptly, avoiding dangerous complications.

If you have unusual symptoms, you should be examined and consulted with a specialist.

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