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Pharyngitis - gonococcal   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Gonococcal pharyngitis

Definition:

An inflammation of the throat involving the tonsils and the larynx (pharynx) caused by gonorrhea infection; usually producing a sore throat.

Causes and Risks

Gonococcal pharyngitis is a sexually-transmitted disease. It is acquired through oral sex with an infected partner. The majority of throat infections caused by gonococci have no symptoms (asymptomatic). When discomfort is present it is generally mild. Symptoms involving the rest of the body normally are not present unless the person develops disseminated gonococcemia (wide-spread infection throughout the bloodstream).

Untreated gonorrhea may spread to other parts of the body, causing inflammation of the testes or prostate in men, or pelvic inflammatory disease in women.

Gonococci in the throat are present in 10 to 20% of women who have gonorrhea. In homosexual men with gonorrhea, pharyngeal infection is present in 10 to 25%.
Risk factors include recent exposure to gonorrhea, sexual activity with multiple partners, male homosexuality, and the practice of oral sex. The incidence is 3 out of 1000 people.

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