Clinical spectrum of pharyngeal gonorrhea in children and adolescents: a report of sixteen patients.
Pharyngeal gonorrhea in children and adolescents is probably increasing. During a 1-year period, 16 patients were diagnosed and treated for pharyngeal gonorrhea. This was the result of a search among a high-risk group, consisting of victims of sex abuse, patients suspected of homosexual practices, and adolescents with symptoms or signs suggestive of sexually transmitted diseases. Of the 16 positive throat cultures, 75% represented pharyngeal colonization while only 25% had clinical symptoms. Pharyngeal gonorrhea was found to be a marker in screening for psychosocial pathology, leading in two-thirds of the cases to the discovery of instances of incest, sexual abuse, chaotic family situations, or severe depression, all of which had been previously denied, ignored, or neglected. The purpose of this article is to alert health care providers to the clinical spectrum of pharyngeal gonorrhea in children and adolescents.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007179:Incest; D008297:Male; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology