Disseminated Gonococcal Infection: Gonococcal Arthritis Symptoms

Disseminated Gonococcal Infection: Gonococcal Arthritis Symptoms . Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease. It is caused by gram negative gonococcus bacteria. Generally the genito- urinary system is affected in gonorrhea. When gonorrhea infection spreads to other organs and sites in the body, the disease is referred as disseminated gonococcal infection. Joints, skin, blood and heart are some of the sites that get affected in disseminated gonoccocal infection.

The disease occurs in people who suffer from gonorrhea. The percentage is very less. The disease commonly presents itself in the form of gonoccocal arthritis. Women are more affected than men, presumably because women form the largest reservoir of symptomatic untreated infection.

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Complications include pericarditis, myocarditis, meningitis, osteomyelitis, perihepatitis etc. When given proper treatment, disseminated gonoccoccal infection has good prognosis as compared to other form of bacterial arthritis.

Symptoms Of Gonococcal Arthritis

Gonococcal arthritis generally begins within the first two weeks after gonorrhea infection. Two forms of gonococcal arthritis have been described.

The bacteraemic disseminated form is characterized by presence of fever, rigors, skin rash, multiple joint pains with small effusion, and positive blood culture for gonococci bacteria. The multiple joint pains is acute in onset, it is asymmetrical, sifting from one joint to another just mimicking like rheumatic fever.

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Knees, wrist and ankle are most commonly involved in this form. It is followed by involvement of smaller joints such as hands, feet, elbows and shoulder. Skin lesions are seen in almost 70 to 80 percent of cases. The lesions are often asymptomatic, however sometimes they are tender. Lesions are present in extremities and trunk region.

The second form of gonoccocal arthritis is septic form. It usually affects a single joint. The severity of symptoms is less. There is no skin lesion. The blood culture test is negative. This means no gonococci organisms are seen in it. But the fluid present in swollen joint may be positive for gonococci bacteria. The common joints involved are knees, wrists, and ankles. Pain in the back of the hand and feet, wrist and Achilles tendon is common occurrence in this form of gonococcal arthritis.

The clinical symptoms of dermatitis (rash), joint pains, tenosynovitis (pain in the back of feet, fingers, wrist), and fever in young female should make you to suspect as gonoccocal arthritis being one of the causes.

Disseminated Gonococcal Infection Treatment

In most cases of disseminated gonoccocal infection, antibiotic therapy is successful and rewarding. It is in the best interest of the patient to get hospitalized so that the response to the antibiotic can be observed.

If there is formation of pus in the joint, it has to be drained. This also requires to be done under total aseptic environment in the hospital. Hospitalization may also be required when there are complications such as endocarditis, meningitis, etc.

Hospitalization and intensive rigorous treatment may also be necessary when there is pelvic inflammation due to gonorrhea. Especially when the patient is immune deficient, if there is persistent pain in lower abdomen, vomiting, nausea and fever as the symptoms.

In most cases after starting the treatment, improvement in the symptoms is noted within 1 or 2 days. The patient recovers completely after the course of medication given by the doctor. He or she should take precautions not to get re-infected.

Precautions For Gonococcal Infection/> One of the foremost precautions which should be taken is to have monogamous relationship with a person whom you are aware of. He should not have any sexually transmitted disease.  Practicing monogamy means, that the person and her partner do not have sexual contact with anyone else.

Secondly condoms will help to prevent gonorrhea in most of the cases. Treat all persons who are sexual partners with the affected patient.