Urethritis

Symptoms of urethritis should resolve within 3 days of antibiotic treatment. Recurrence is usually owing to reinfection or treatment failure. Treatment failure may result from incomplete antimicrobial treatment, co-infection with other organisms, or drug resistance. Symptoms resolve within 3 months in 95% of people with untreated gonococcal urethritis. The symptoms of nongonococcal urethritis generally abate within 3 months in 30% to 70% of untreated people.[2]Babu TM, Urban MA, Augenbraun MH. Urethritis. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's principles and practice of infectious diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier, Inc; 2020:107;1452-61;e2.

Local complications are rare in treated patients. Epididymitis or conjunctivitis may occur in 1% to 2% of cases. Unusual complications include salpingitis, cervicitis, seminal vesiculitis, penile edema, prostatitis or abscess, abscess of Tyson glands, periurethral abscess, regional lymphadenitis, and infertility. Urethral strictures in males and disseminated disease (gonococcemia) may be seen if untreated.[2]Babu TM, Urban MA, Augenbraun MH. Urethritis. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's principles and practice of infectious diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier, Inc; 2020:107;1452-61;e2.