Gonorrhoea.

INTRODUCTION: In 2012, the diagnosis rates for gonorrhoea among adults aged 20 to 24 years in the UK were 249 per 100,000 for men and 140 per 100,000 for women. Resistance to one or more antimicrobial agent is reported in more than one quarter of isolates. Co-infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is reported in 10% to 40% of people with gonorrhoea in the US and UK.

METHODS AND OUTCOMES: We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of treatments for uncomplicated infections in men and non-pregnant women, and in pregnant women? What are the effects of treatments for disseminated gonococcal infection? What are the effects of dual treatment for gonorrhoea and chlamydia infection? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to September 2013 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

RESULTS: We found 7 studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.

CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: antibiotic regimens (dual treatment, multiple dose, single dose).