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What are the Most Common Oral Gonorrhea Symptoms?
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison
The most common symptom of oral gonorrhea is a sore throat that develops suddenly and is not accompanied by symptoms of a cold or the flu. In addition to a sore throat, a person with oral gonorrhea may also experience vomiting, pain when swallowing, and fever. It is important to note, however, that a person with oral gonorrhea may not have any symptoms at all or may have oral gonorrhea symptoms that are easily ignored or overlooked. When these symptoms do develop, they are usually noticed within 10 days of exposure.
A person who has been exposed to gonorrhea via his mouth may develop symptoms of oral gonorrhea. The symptom he is most likely to develop is a sore throat that develops suddenly. His throat may also appear reddened and inflamed. Sometimes a person with this condition may also find swallowing painful. Vomiting or fever may develop as well, but these symptoms are less common.
While a person may develop oral gonorrhea and not have any obvious symptoms, some people do develop signs that they have been infected with the sexually transmitted disease (STD). When a person does have symptoms, he is likely to notice them within about a week to 10 days after infection. An individual who thinks he may have a case of oral gonorrhea is typically advised to see his doctor right away for treatment with antibiotics. Prompt treatment may help a patient to not only enjoy relief from oral gonorrhea symptoms, but also avoid potential complications of the disease.
Often, people who develop oral gonorrhea symptoms do not even suspect an STD when symptoms develop. They may not be aware that the STD can affect a person’s throat. Gonorrhea infections are not limited to those that affect the genitals, however. A person may contract oral gonorrhea through oral-to-genital contact. An individual may even develop a gonorrhea infection of the rectum after anal sex.
Most people are more familiar with genital gonorrhea. This is probably due to the fact that the genital version of this STD is more likely to cause symptoms than the oral version. Regardless of whether or not it causes symptoms, however it should not be left untreated. In some cases, oral gonorrhea may cause tonsillitis or throat ulcers if left untreated. In others, especially in patients with weakened immune systems, it may also contribute to the development of serious infections that can threaten a patient’s overall health.
Nicole Madison
Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a WiseGEEK writer, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. When not writing or spending time with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach.
Learn more...
Nicole Madison
Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a WiseGEEK writer, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. When not writing or spending time with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach.
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![Symptoms of oral gonorrhea may include sore throat.]()
By: jedi-masterSymptoms of oral gonorrhea may include sore throat. -
![Symptoms of gonorrhea may include vomiting.]()
By: Kristin GründlerSymptoms of gonorrhea may include vomiting. -
![A person with oral gonorrhea may experience fever.]()
By: Piotr MarcinskiA person with oral gonorrhea may experience fever. -
![Gonorrhea can be spread through oral sex.]()
By: Imagery MajesticGonorrhea can be spread through oral sex. -
![The medical treatment for gonorrhea typically consists of a single oral dose of antibiotics.]()
By: Syda ProductionsThe medical treatment for gonorrhea typically consists of a single oral dose of antibiotics. -
![Urine samples may be ordered to determine if a patient has gonorrhea.]()
By: Rob ByronUrine samples may be ordered to determine if a patient has gonorrhea.
Discussion Comments
Does someone know if a simple swab test would indicate a problem like this one? I'm a foreigner and today I went to the lab and there they told me that they can only perform a simple swab test. So if I do this, would the test show something? Please, I'm so confused.
Does the treatment of gonorrhea work on all of the gonorrhea infections, Such as oral, anal and genital gonorrhea?
@Agni3 - I believe the treatment for both oral and genital gonorrhea is antibiotics, taken in the form of pills. So, yes, it would just be the one course of pills to get rid of all the infections.
Of course if you want to treat the symptoms a person might be doing different things depending on what's happening. For example, using a numbing throat spray to help with the symptoms for oral gonorrhea.
The best way to prevent this kind of infection is to only have sex with people you know (from test results) are clean.
And if there is any doubt, there are special shields you can purchase so you can still have oral sex (or in the case of a man, you can use a condom).
@Domido - Gonorrhea can't be contracted from kissing. Even though it can infect the throat, it is "designed" to be infecting the genitals and it only spreads through semen or vaginal fluids.
Saliva doesn't carry the virus in other words. All the information I've found online says that there are no documented cases of oral gonorrhea being transmitted through kissing, although that's not to say it is absolutely impossible.
Most of the time I think a throat infection is asymptomatic anyway. Which is one of the dangers, really since it can eventually cause bigger problems if it is left untreated.
Here is an incredibly scary thought and suggestion. Perhaps someone out there in the big, ole wiseGEEK world will have a good answer for me.
Is it possible that oral gonorrhea, which might or might not come along with regular gonorrhea symptoms, could be contracted through simple kissing?
Because let me tell you, I am in no way a lose woman, so to speak. But, being a single lady of middle age, I will flat lay one on a man if I’m of a mind to. I always thought it was pretty innocuous and a way to test chemistry.
Now, I’m not so sure. Untreated oral gonorrhea does not sound fun to me, or innocuous for that matter.
I had no idea that there was even such a thing as oral gonorrhea – gees! I suppose this means that a person who contracted genital or anal gonorrhea from a partner might have also contracted gonorrhea of the throat. I’m also guessing the oral kind comes from oral sex.
So, here is the real question – does the same treatment take care of all of these gonorrhea infections at once? I sure hope so for the poor people who are having to deal with all of it. It seems like they’ve got a good shot at having at least two of them at once, if not all three.
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