urethritis - Causes, Treatment

Inflammation of the urethra, caused by one of several organisms such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia. The symptoms include a burning sensation on passing urine, and frequency of urination.

ICD-9	597 099.4
DiseasesDB	27902
eMedicine	med/2342
MeSH	D014526

Urethritis is an inflammation of the urethra.

Causes

In the diagnostic approach to urethritis, physicians classify the disease as gonococcal urethritis or non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU), based on its causation. Non-gonococcal urethritis, sometimes called non-specific urethritis (NSU), has both infectious and non-infectious causes. In men, purulent discharge usually indicates a urethritis of gonococcal nature, while clear discharge indicates urethritis of non-gonococcal nature.

Causes include:

Neisseria gonorrhoeae Chlamydia trachomatis Mycoplasma genitalium Adenovirus Herpes simplex

Treatment

A variety of drugs may be prescribed based on the cause of the patient's urethritis. Some examples of medications based on causes include:

Clotrimazole (Mycelex) - Trichomonas Doxycycline (Vibramycin) - Chlamydia Fluconazole (Diflucan) - Monilial Metronidazole (Flagyl) - Trichomonas Nitrofurantoin - Bacterial Infection Nystatin (Mycostatin) - Monilial Sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim - Bacterial Infection

Proper perineal hygiene should be stressed.