Nongonococcal urethritis. A clinical review

The rising incidence of nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) and the risk of potential complications attributed to chlamydial carriage are of great concern to public health officials. Recognition of Chlamydia trachomatis as a serious, sexually transmitted pathogen has come more recently, and this agent may be responsible for many cases of epididymitis, prostatitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, Reiter's syndrome, infant pneumonia, and possibly other complications. This review describes the clinical manifestations of NGU compared with gonococcal urethritis and the means of diagnosis and management in the patient and his sexual partners. The chlamydial etiology of NGU and other possible etiologies are also discussed.