What is the prevalence of gonococcal arthritis in the US?

Answer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported notifiable disease in the United States, with 616,392 cases reported in 2019.^[5]

The rate of reported gonorrhea cases in the US has been increasing since 2010, after declining from their peak of 467.7 cases per 100,000 population in 1975 to an historic low of 98.1 cases per 100,000 population in 2009. In 2018-2019, gonorrhea rates increased by 5.7%. As of 2019, the national rate of gonococcal infection was 188.4 cases per 100,000 population.^[5]Within the United States, however, rates of infection vary by region (highest in the South and lowest in New England) and by demographics (see below).

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Media Gallery

Synovial joint.
The lesion on this patient's heel was due to the systemic dissemination of the N gonorrhoeae bacteria.
The foot of this patient is swollen due to gonococcal arthritis.
This patient presented with cutaneous foot lesions that were diagnosed as a disseminated gonococcal infection.

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Author

Victoria Fernandes Sullivan, MD Fellow in Rheumatology, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Rachel Robbins, MD, FACP Assistant Professor of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; Staff Rheumatologist, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Rachel Robbins, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, American College of Rheumatology, Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Michael P Keith, MD, FACP, FACR Chief of Rheumatology, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; Associate Professor of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F Edward Hebert School of Medicine

Michael P Keith, MD, FACP, FACR is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American College of Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Herbert S Diamond, MD Visiting Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center; Chairman Emeritus, Department of Internal Medicine, Western Pennsylvania Hospital

Herbert S Diamond, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, American College of Rheumatology, American Medical Association, Phi Beta Kappa

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgements

Lawrence H Brent, MD Associate Professor of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University; Chair, Program Director, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Albert Einstein Medical Center

Lawrence H Brent, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Immunologists, American College of Physicians, and American College of Rheumatology

Disclosure: Genentech Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Genentech Grant/research funds Other; Amgen Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Pfizer Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Abbott Immunology Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Takeda Honoraria Speaking and teaching; UCB Speaking and teaching; Omnicare Consulting fee Consulting; Centocor Consulting fee Consulting

Timothy M Straight, MD Instructor, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University School of Medicine

Timothy M Straight, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

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