Systematic Literature Review and Quantitative Analysis of Health Problems Associated with Sexually Transmitted Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection.

OBJECTIVE: Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) is the second most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection (STI), leading to serious health problems in men, women and newborns. While early antibiotic treatment is effective, infections are increasingly antibiotic-resistant. No systematic reviews present health problems associated with Ng infections or their likelihood of occurrence. The objective, therefore, was to conduct a systematic literature review to address these gaps.
METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted of all studies with an English abstract published since 1950 (Pubmed)/1966 (Embase). The search included patients with a history of/current sexually transmitted Ng infection. Expected outcomes were defined from published reviews of gonorrhoea health problems. Observational studies with a control group were included. A decision tree determined the best quality studies for each outcome, prioritising generalisable populations, laboratory-confirmed diagnosis, clearly defined outcomes, no STI co-infections, adjusted analyses and risk estimates. Where feasible, a meta-analysis was performed; otherwise, the best quality study estimates were identified.
FINDINGS: In total, 46 studies were included, and 22 health problems were identified. Of these problems, Ng infection was statistically significantly associated with preterm premature ruptures of membranes, preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, infant death, neonatal ophthalmia, schizophrenia in offspring, pelvic inflammatory disease and subsequent tubal infertility, human immunodeficiency virus and prostate cancer/problems. High-quality evidence was generally lacking, with high heterogeneity across studies, and limited or inconclusive data on other health problems.
CONCLUSION: Ng infection is associated with severe health problems in women, men and newborns. More high-quality comparative studies are needed to address the limitations in current knowledge.