Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
Gonococcal arthritis is a rare complication ofgonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Gonococcal arthritis causes painful inflammation and swelling of the joints and tissues. It is considered a type ofseptic arthritis, which means an infection causes symptoms within a joint.
Learn more about gonococcal arthritis, its symptoms and causes, how it is diagnosed, and treatment options.
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Gonococcal Arthritis Symptoms
Gonococcal arthritis can occur in any of your joints, including the ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, or the bones of the head or trunk. This type of arthritis might affect a single joint or many joints.
Symptoms of gonococcal arthritis may include:
About 15% of people will report joint pain as a primary symptom of gonococcal arthritis, and skin lesions are present in about 75% of cases.Severe complications might include perihepatitis (inflammation of the tissues surrounding the liver),meningitis, orendocarditis.
Symptoms in Newborns
Symptoms that babies might experience include:
Complications
In addition to gonococcal arthritis, untreated gonorrhea can lead to other serious health complications, including a condition calledpelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and pregnancy complications.Babies who contract gonorrhea from their mothers have a higher risk of infection, sores on their skin, and blindness.
If you or a partner have symptoms of an STI, it is important to seek out medical attention. The sooner the infection is treated, the sooner it is cleared, and the risk of complications, like gonococcal arthritis, is reduced.
Symptoms of an STI might include:
The bacteriumNeisseria gonorrhoeaecauses gonorrhea.These bacteria are transmitted through unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sexual contact. Sex without a condom can increase your risk of gonorrhea. Babies can contract gonorrhea during childbirth through their infected mother.
Gonococcal arthritis affects 0.4% to 3% of people with gonorrhea.According to a 2012 report in the journalAmerican Family Physician, it is the most common cause of infectious arthritis in “sexually active, previously healthy” people.
It occurs when bacteria spread beyond the initialinfectionthrough the bloodstream to other areas of the body. The bacteria can focus on a joint and start to grow, and the infection might occur in more than one joint.
Historically speaking, this type of arthritis affects mostly women.This is not because of the risk of gonorrhea. People with an upper reproductive tract that includes organs such as the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries have a path that bacteria can use to travel farther into the body, increasing the chance of infection at other sites.
To diagnose gonococcal arthritis, your healthcare provider will review your symptoms and determine what testing might help them reach a diagnosis.
Acomplete blood count (CBC)might be obtained to look for mild leukocytosis, an elevated white blood cell count that can be a sign of infection. Anerythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR) may be done, as an increase in this measure is a sign of inflammation.
Synovial joint fluidmight be pulled from the joint and examined, but this alone often isn’t enough to establish a diagnosis.Your practitioner will use a needle to extract the synovial fluid from the inflamed joint. That sample is then sent to a lab to look for signs of the gonorrhea bacteria.
If your healthcare provider suspects a gonorrhea infection, they may request additional testing.This might include:
Treatment of gonococcal arthritis starts with treating the cause of the arthritis—the gonorrhea infection. That usually involvesantibiotics. Treating gonococcal arthritis typically includes a procedure called joint aspiration.
Antibiotics for the Infection
If you are still experiencing symptoms after a few days, it is a good idea to let your healthcare provider know.A test-of-cure follow-up test will need to be done seven to 14 days after treatment.
Because reinfection is common, people who test positive for gonorrhea should be retested three months after the initial treatment for the infection, even if their sex partners have been treated.
Joint Aspiration for the Arthritis
Ajoint aspirationprocedure involves using a sterile needle and syringe to drain the fluid from the affected joint.This procedure is usually done at your healthcare provider’s office. Joint aspiration is sometimes called arthrocentesis.
Most people start to feel better within a day or two after they start antibiotics for the gonorrheal infection. And most will make a full recovery.
A timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment for gonorrhea are necessary to reduce the potential for severe and chronic joint pain. Untreated gonorrhea can also lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, pregnancy complications, or an infection that can spread to other parts of the body.
A Word From Verywell
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Gonococcal arthritis.Mayor MT, Roett MA, Uduhiri KA.Diagnosis and management of gonococcal infections.Am Fam Physician. 86(10):931-938.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About gonorrhea.Jin J.Prevention of gonococcal eye infection in newborns.JAMA. 321(4):414. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.21434Cleveland Clinic.Sexually transmitted diseases & infections (STDs & STIs).Bachmeyer C, Vigouroux A, Moguelet P.Fever, arthritis, and cutaneous lesions.Eur J Intern Med. 46:e3-e4. doi:10.1016/j.ejim.2017.04.023Vidaurrazaga MM, Perlman DC.A case of purulent gonococcal arthritis.IDCases, 19, e00662. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00662Cleveland Clinic.Arthrocentesis (joint aspiration).Sanford Health Care.Complications from gonorrhea.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Gonococcal arthritis.Mayor MT, Roett MA, Uduhiri KA.Diagnosis and management of gonococcal infections.Am Fam Physician. 86(10):931-938.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About gonorrhea.Jin J.Prevention of gonococcal eye infection in newborns.JAMA. 321(4):414. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.21434Cleveland Clinic.Sexually transmitted diseases & infections (STDs & STIs).Bachmeyer C, Vigouroux A, Moguelet P.Fever, arthritis, and cutaneous lesions.Eur J Intern Med. 46:e3-e4. doi:10.1016/j.ejim.2017.04.023Vidaurrazaga MM, Perlman DC.A case of purulent gonococcal arthritis.IDCases, 19, e00662. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00662Cleveland Clinic.Arthrocentesis (joint aspiration).Sanford Health Care.Complications from gonorrhea.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Gonococcal arthritis.Mayor MT, Roett MA, Uduhiri KA.Diagnosis and management of gonococcal infections.Am Fam Physician. 86(10):931-938.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About gonorrhea.Jin J.Prevention of gonococcal eye infection in newborns.JAMA. 321(4):414. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.21434Cleveland Clinic.Sexually transmitted diseases & infections (STDs & STIs).Bachmeyer C, Vigouroux A, Moguelet P.Fever, arthritis, and cutaneous lesions.Eur J Intern Med. 46:e3-e4. doi:10.1016/j.ejim.2017.04.023Vidaurrazaga MM, Perlman DC.A case of purulent gonococcal arthritis.IDCases, 19, e00662. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00662Cleveland Clinic.Arthrocentesis (joint aspiration).Sanford Health Care.Complications from gonorrhea.
MedlinePlus.Gonococcal arthritis.
Mayor MT, Roett MA, Uduhiri KA.Diagnosis and management of gonococcal infections.Am Fam Physician. 86(10):931-938.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About gonorrhea.
Jin J.Prevention of gonococcal eye infection in newborns.JAMA. 321(4):414. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.21434
Cleveland Clinic.Sexually transmitted diseases & infections (STDs & STIs).
Bachmeyer C, Vigouroux A, Moguelet P.Fever, arthritis, and cutaneous lesions.Eur J Intern Med. 46:e3-e4. doi:10.1016/j.ejim.2017.04.023
Vidaurrazaga MM, Perlman DC.A case of purulent gonococcal arthritis.IDCases, 19, e00662. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00662
Cleveland Clinic.Arthrocentesis (joint aspiration).
Sanford Health Care.Complications from gonorrhea.
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