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Which women should be tested for Chlamydia trachomatis?
S Macmillan1, H McKenzie, G Flett
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Aberdeen, UK.
Objective:
To assess the prevalence of genitourinary Chlamydia trachomatis infection among women in different clinical settings, with a view to making decisions about who should be tested routinely.
Design:
Cross sectional study.
Setting:
One regional hospital and family planning clinic serving an urban centre. Population Two thousand thirty-five sexually active women attending various outpatient settings.
Main Outcome Measures:
Prevalence of positivity by clinical setting, stratified by age.
Results:
Overall, prevalence of lower genital tract chlamydial infection was similar in a variety of clinical settings. Infertile women were the only exception, demonstrating a much lower prevalence. Stratifying the study population by age found a clear trend towards high prevalence in teenagers and virtually no infection in women over the age of 30 years.
Conclusions:
The prevalence of chlamydial infection in women is related to age, regardless of clinical presentation. In practice, opportunistic screening should target sexually active women under 30 years of age.