Urethritis: Causes and Treatment
Urethritis is the clinical term for inflammation of the urethra — the tube that carries urine (and, in men, semen) out of the body. It's a condition, not a specific diagnosis, meaning the next question is always what's causing it.
The most common causes
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most common STD causes of urethritis, sometimes grouped clinically into "gonococcal" (caused by gonorrhea) and "non-gonococcal" urethritis (caused by chlamydia or other organisms, including mycoplasma genitalium and trichomoniasis). Non-infectious causes exist too — irritation from soap or spermicide, or in rarer cases, urethral injury.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Burning during urination, discharge, and itching or discomfort at the urethral opening are the classic symptoms, though — as with a lot of these infections — some cases cause minimal or no symptoms at all. Diagnosis typically involves a urine test or swab to identify the specific cause, since treatment differs depending on which organism (if any) is responsible.
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