Video:How to Treat Gonorrhea
with Dr. Bob LahitaTreating Gonorrhea is possible, however this disease is very resistant to many common antibiotics. In this health video from About.com, learn about treating the sexually transmitted disease Gonorrhea.See Transcript
Transcript:How to Treat Gonorrhea
My name is Dr. Bob Lahita and I'm the chairman of the department of medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The topic for this segment is: The Treatment of Gonorrhea.
What is Gonorrhea?
Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium called Neisseria Gonorrhea which is a very, very virulent form of bacteria which is sexually transmitted. And it is common for both men and women to have gonorrhea.
Gonorrhea can be quite serious and cause meningitis, infections of the eyes, infections of the reproductive track with ongoing sterility, an infection commonly called "the clap" of males in the urethra which is basically pus from the urethra at the top of the penis with a burning and really very uncomfortable feeling. In rare instances gonorrhea can be disseminated throughout the circulation and produce pustules on the skin.
How to Treat Gonorrhea
Nevertheless gonorrhea has to be treated and today, unlike yesterday, gonorrhea is very, very resistant to many anti-biotics like sulfonamides, penicillin and most recently the quinolones. Today the recommended antibiotic choice based on resistance patterns in the united states are cephalosporins. In severe forms of this disease such as meningitis or involvement of the eye the doctor may have to hospitalize you, and if you are hospitalized you will probably have to undergo intravenous treatment for the disseminated organism, or the particular organ system that is involved. This is a very serious condition, it can be a very serious infection.
For more information about this go to About.com.
