The Treatment of Gonorrhea and Its Complications - Essay Example

"The Treatment of Gonorrhea and Its Complications" is a perfect example of a paper on sexual health issues. Gonorrhea is a human sexually transmitted disease, usually caused by a bacterium by the name Neisseria gonorrhea. A variety of symptoms is associated with men and women. As for men, there is usually burning urination and penile discharge. Women are often asymptomatic and will tend to have vaginal discharge. There are severe consequences when this infection is left untreated. In fact, it spreads and may cause epididymitis and inflammatory diseases.

            Over the years, many treatments have been endorsed, with the most common and effective treatment being ceftriaxone, which is an antibiotic and is often used as a combination of azithromycin and/or doxycycline. It is, however, important to note, that there are instances that this infection occurs along with some other infections such as Chlamydia. As such, this combination alone does not cater to this special condition (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008, p. 991). There are also some instances, where this infection has shown resistance concerning this treatment. This has made intervention be relatively difficult. Although this infection is treatable, the time has proven this a wrong assumption, because this bacterium is always advancing.

Signs

            As mentioned earlier, there is a varying sin with regard to gender. To start with, most women are often asymptomatic. In other cases, some will have symptoms relating to Urethritis, where there is burning in urination. The incubation period is between 2 to 14 days, Symptoms will also occur between 4 and 6 days after infection. Other signs include endocarditis and meningitis. These signs will occur when the bacterium settles in the heart. Although it is a rare condition, there are instances are cases where this condition occurs.

Diagnostic

            Over the years, the method that has been adopted to diagnose this infection has changed. This is because of the changing face of the bacterium. Traditionally, this infection was diagnosed using gram stain and culture. Of late, newer polymerase chain reaction methods are being adopted (Robinson, 2009). Depending on the infection’s strength, the method adopted will vary. Since there are cases where certain infection fights antibiotics, the above methods will be adopted to reflect the sensitivity to antibiotics.

Treatment

            The treatment has varied over the years; prior years had varying methods for treating this infection. During the 19 century, there is evidence that mercury was used to treat this infection. Afterward, there was an increase in the use of antibiotics. A variety of antibiotics was used to treat this infection. This includes penicillin, fluoroquinolones, and tetracycline. This infection has shown an increasing rate of resistance. In fact, some antibiotics have become ineffective. Antibiotics such as penicillin, fluoroquinolones, and tetracycline are no longer effective in treating this infection (Michaud, 2006, p.41). Doctors no longer prescribe these antibiotics; they advise taking current antibiotics such as ceftriaxone among others. Conclusively, it is important to note that the bacterium that causes this infection is advancing. As such, the correct antibiotics heavily rely on the bacterium’s strength.

Patient education

            Patients having this infection are obligated to have the correct education. Owing to the fact that the bacterium is advancing with time, there is a need for more visits to the doctor to ascertain that, after treatment, this bacterium exists no more. Single treatments may not be enough; patients should visit a doctor to ascertain this fact.

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