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Urethritis - male - Management
Basis for recommendation
These recommendations are based on a UK National Guideline on the Management of non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU), published by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) [BASHH, 2007], a European guideline [Shahmanesh et al, 2009], and a primary care guideline published by BASHH and the Royal College of General Practitioners [RCGP and BASHH, 2006].
Safe sex
- It is best to avoid all sexual activities during treatment as transfer of organisms may occur prior to putting on a condom [RCGP and BASHH, 2006].
Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening
Partner notification
- Partners of men with urethritis should be contacted regardless of test results. Most episodes of NGU have no identifiable cause, therefore all at-risk sexual partners should be assessed and offered empirical treatment without waiting for microbiological diagnosis [RCGP and BASHH, 2006].
Health implications
- If NGU is not treated, symptoms will subside over 1–3 months in 30–70% of men [McCormack and Rein, 1995]. If gonococcal urethritis remains untreated, microbiological clearance occurs weeks or months after symptoms have settled. However, there is a high likelihood of transmission to others and the possibility of complications.
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