Urethritis in Men and Women

Urethritis is usually caused by sexually transmissible organisms. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) increase the risk of acquiring other STDs, which is why patients presenting with urethritis should generally be examined for other STDs as well, and examination and treatment of sexual partners are necessary. Standard diagnosis is made via stains of urethral swabs or urine, but modern microbiological diagnostic methods such as nucleic acid amplification techniques achieve higher diagnostic accuracy. In non-gonococcal urethritis, a causative organism can often not be isolated. Antibiotic treatment is usually based on current epidemiologic data.