Incidence of asymptomatic gonorrhea in women

Sixty-six of 70 consecutive cases of gonorrhea in women were reviewed retrospectively for presenting symptoms. Forty-four (44) percent were asymptomatic while an additional 48 percent mentioned only a vaginal discharge. The importance of taking routine gonorrhea cultures on all sexually active women is stressed. In medical settings where experience has shown a low yield of positive cultures, the Pennsylvania Health Department's priorities can be used to select the patients at highest risk of disease.