Urethritis is the inflammation of the urethra. The most common symptoms include painful or difficult urination and urethral discharge. It is a commonly treatable condition usually caused by infection with bacteria. This bacterial infection is often sexually transmitted, but not in every instance; it can be idiopathic, for example. Some incidence of urethritis can appear asymptomatic as well. Symptoms and signs Symptoms vary based on the cause of the diseases. For infectious causes of urethritis, symptoms may start a few weeks to several months after infection. Non-infectious causes of urethritis commonly show symptoms after a few days. Common symptoms include painful urination, continuous urge to urinate, itching and, urethral discharge. Additional symptoms vary based on assigned sex at birth. Men may experience blood in the urine or semen, itching, tenderness, or swelling of the penis, enlarged lymph nodes in the groin area, and/or pain with intercourse or ejaculation. Women may experience abdominal pain, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse, or vaginal discharge. Non-gonococcal urethritis typically does not have noticeable symptoms women, however, the infection can spread to parts of the reproductive system. Complications Serious, yet rare complications associated with Neisseria gonorrhea, may include penile edema, abscessed tissue surrounding the urethra, urethral strictures such as scarring, and penile lymphangitis. If left untreated, the bacteria that cause non-gonococcal urethritis can lead to various complications. In individuals assigned male at birth, complications can lead to epididymitis, reactive arthritis, conjunctivitis, skin lesions, and discharge. In individuals assigned female at birth, complications can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain, vaginitis, mucopurulent cervicitis, and miscarriages. Causes The disease is classified as either gonococcal urethritis, caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, or non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU), most commonly caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, which is accounted for 20-50% of routinely tested cases. NGU, sometimes called nonspecific urethritis (NSU), has both infectious and noninfectious causes. Other causes include: Mycoplasma genitalium: second most common cause accounting for 15-20% of non-gonococcal urethritis Trichomonas vaginalis: accounts for 2-13% of cases in the US; infection is mainly asymptomatic in most cases Adenoviridae Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) Herpes simplex virus Cytomegalovirus Reactive arthritis: urethritis is part of the triad of reactive arthritis, which includes arthritis, urethritis, and conjunctivitis. Ureaplasma urealyticum Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Group B streptococcus Irritation of the genital area: for example catheter-induced, physical activity, tight clothing or soaps Fungal urethritis in immunosuppressed individual Menopause Diagnosis Urethritis is usually diagnosed through collecting history on the