Gonorrhea in the United States: 1967-1979

Sex-, race-, and age-specific gonorrhea cases and rates reported by public and private sources were studied. The role of the age, sex, and race composition of the population was used to explain changing trends of morbidity due to gonorrhea. Beginning in 1967, reported cases of gonorrhea in the United States increased at an annual rate of 13% through 1975, with increases in women twice those in men. The group aged 20-24 years had the highest age-specific rates of gonorrhea in both men and women, while the highest percentage increases were observed in the 15-19-year-old age group. Since 1975, numbers of reported cases have stabilized. Decreases in rates of gonorrhea were more pronounced in men than in women. Among all ages, the group aged 20-24 showed the largest decrease for race and sex categories, except for nonwhite women.