Skin signs of sexually transmitted diseases in adolescents

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) continue to be a significant and prevalent problem among adolescents. One in four sexually active teenagers are infected with one or more STDs. Certain STDs, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, and possibly human papillomavirus infections have the highest prevalence in this age group. The determinants of risk for STDs in adolescence encompass a range of behavioral, biological, and social factors. This review focuses on the skin signs of STDs in adolescents. Recognition of these findings is important since they may represent the most prominent, earliest, or only evidence of an STD. The recognition of the non-AIDs STDs has the added importance of identifying a population at high risk for HIV infection. Although recent data suggest encouraging trends in sexual risk behaviors among high school students in the United States, great challenges remain in the efforts to expand primary and secondary prevention strategies for STDs in adolescents. Expertise in the recognition and treatment of STDs in adolescents remains important for clinicians who care for adolescents.