Therapy Analysis - Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea & Syphilis
Gonorrhoea and the potential risk of cancer
Gonorrhoea, colloquially known as 'the clap', is the second most common STI in the UK, caused by the Gram negative bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and is symptomatically characterized by severe pain during urination. The bacteria grows and multiplies quickly in moist, warm areas of the body such as the cervix, urethra, mouth or rectum, and in women, as with chlamydia, can also spread to the uterus and fallopian tubes and cause PID.
...men who have had the disease are twice as likely to develop bladder cancerPregnancy is a further concern for gonorrhoea sufferers, who report higher rates of miscarriage, preterm birth and premature rupture of membranes if they remain untreated. It can also be passed to the newborn during delivery, causing gonococcal conjunctivitis, a major cause of preventable blindness in infants. With 50% of sufferers being entirely asymptomatic, screening for gonorrhoea during pregnancy is now considered a requisite.
In contrast to women, asymptomatic gonorrhoea presents in only 10% of men. After an incubation period of 2 - 10 days, the remainder show symptoms including a copious, urethral pus discharge, and inflammation of the testicles and prostate gland are usually visible. The danger posed to men infected with gonorrhoea has recently been highlighted by a study carried out by the Harvard School of Public Health, who found that men who have had the disease are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer. The study analyzed the histories of 286 bladder cancer cases and confirmed the link between gonorrhoea and the cancer. Researchers have suggested that inflammation caused by the infection could be the key; however, further studies are needed to confirm whether the increased risk is caused directly by gonorrhoea, or whether it results from the symptoms of the infection.
