Risk of conjunctivitis in infants born to mothers with gonorrhea infection

The article was written by Specialist Doctor II Nguyen Thai Hung - Ophthalmologist, Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital

Gonorrhea is transmitted through any form of sexual contact including vaginal, rectal or oral, this is a disease that can affect both men and women. In particular, being infected with gonorrhea during pregnancy can cause dangerous complications, typically conjunctivitis in newborns.

Gonorrhea is a common, sexually transmitted disease. The disease can appear in people of all ages, but is most common in young people.
The most common manifestation of gonorrhea in men is anterior urethritis. Symptoms of anterior urethritis in men include: Painful urination, purulent urine, accompanied by edema and redness of the mouth. Purulent urethral discharge is considered a specific symptom of gonorrhea. Pus can be yellow, greenish yellow, many. Only 25% of men with gonorrhea are asymptomatic, and very few are asymptomatic.
Unlike men, gonorrhea in women often has an indeterminate incubation period, moreover, the signs of gonorrhea are not as widespread as in men. Because the symptoms of gonorrhea in women are quite subtle, it often leads to late detection. Clinically, the most common manifestations of gonorrhea in women include:
Urethritis: Patients with painful urination, frequent urination, see pus in the urethra and the glands around the urethra,... Inflammation of the vaginal area. Vaginal, cervical: Vaginal discharge, unpleasant odor, bleeding between periods or menorrhagia,... For women infected with gonorrhea during pregnancy, the symptoms are not much different from those of women. other normal female.

Women infected with gonorrhea during pregnancy without treatment will experience the following dangerous complications of gonorrhea during pregnancy:
Spontaneous miscarriage Premature rupture of membranes Preterm birth Acute chorioamnionitis Inflammation of the eye conjunctivitis in Newborns Disseminated gonorrhea infection

Conjunctivitis is the most common neonatal gonorrhea complication. Neisseria gonorrhoeae is passed from mother to baby and causes conjunctivitis in the baby's eyes, which usually occurs 2-3 days after birth.
Symptoms of ocular conjunctivitis caused by gonorrhea in newborns include:
Red eyes Swollen eyelids After birth, eyes are closed, watering, pus-like discharge, thickened, may be accompanied by blood infection, meningitis,... If conjunctivitis is not detected and treated in a timely manner, the most serious consequence is that the child will be blind.
To prevent neonatal conjunctivitis, immediately after birth, the child should be applied 1% tetracycline ointment or eye drops with 0.4% chloramphenicol, 1% argyrol solution under the guidance of a specialist. Children with this disease are mainly due to an infection through the mother's vagina at birth (because the mother is suffering from a genital infection), so before becoming pregnant, the mother needs to have a gynecological examination and definitive treatment of inflammatory diseases. genitals to prevent diseases for babies after birth.

For pregnant women, the screening test should be done at the first prenatal visit and again in the last 3 months of pregnancy. In addition, if during pregnancy, if you find out that your husband has symptoms of gonorrhea or other sexually transmitted diseases, you should immediately go to a medical facility to be tested for the disease.
To detect gonorrhea, the doctor will assign the patient to test urine or sample from the cervix for analysis. If you have had oral or anal sex, your doctor will take a sample from your throat or rectum. If the result is positive, the pregnant woman should be treated as soon as possible.

Since this is a sexually transmitted disease, treatment should be carried out simultaneously in both the pregnant woman and her husband. In addition, to avoid reinfection, both should not have sex until completely cured. In addition to the gynecological examination package for women as mentioned above, customers can also refer to the social disease screening package for all ages, both men and women.
When registering for the social screening package, customers will receive:
Dermatology examination Perform tests such as: HIV Ab rapid test, Chlamydia rapid test, Treponema pallidium rapid test, qualitative and quantitative Treponema pallidum TPHA test, bacteriological staining and endoscopic staining fungal testing Screening for social diseases in order to detect disease early for effective treatment, avoid complications and help Couples prepare for good health when planning pregnancy and childbirth.

If you have unusual symptoms, you should be examined and consulted with a specialist.