Gonococcal Arthritis With Pericarditis

Abstract

THE AFFINITY of the gonococcus for synovial membranes and serosal tissues is well known. Before the antibiotic era, gonococcal arthritis, endocarditis, and meningitis were not uncommon.1With effective therapy, however, attention to these extragenital complications has diminished. Nevertheless, gonococcal infection remains common, and interesting and sometimes confusing complications may still be seen. In the past year five cases of gonococcal arthritis were seen at the Yale-New Haven Hospital. Two of these five had electrocardiographic changes consistent with pericardial inflammation. Report of Cases Case 1. —A 22-year-old Negro woman was admitted with a three-day history of a swollen, tender knee. She had been in good health until this illness. There was history of exposure to gonorrhea four weeks earlier. Three weeks before admission, she had had mild coryza which abated spontaneously. Three days before admission, her left knee became painful and began to swell. It became hot and tender,