Emerging trends in sexually transmitted diseases in a tertiary care center in Davangere, Karnataka: A five year study

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a public health challenge, and the epidemiological profile is variable by geographical region and distinct from that of other diseases. Accurate knowledge of emerging disease trends is crucial for formulating effective control strategies.

The aim and objective of this study were to identify the changing scenario and emerging trends of STDs in Davangere, Karnataka, by evaluating patients attending a tertiary care center.

A tertiary care-based retrospective study was conducted by analyzing the clinical records of the attendees presenting to the STD clinic at Chigateri General Hospital affiliated to JJM Medical College in Davangere, Karnataka, for a period of 5 years from January 2015 to December 2019. The collected data were analyzed and statistically compared with other studies.

Out of the 614 patients studied, the male-to-female ratio was 2:1, with 30-39 age groups being most affected. Eighty-eight percent of patients were married, with 36.64% giving a history of extramarital contact. Homosexual and bisexual contacts were observed to be 5.21% and 0.65%, respectively. Viral STDs affected nearly half of the patients (49.51%), followed by fungal (28.88%), bacterial (22.63%), and others (3.1%). The most common STD observed was herpes genitalis as seen in 101 (24.48%) patients, followed by candidal balanoposthitis (17.1%). Thirty-three (5.7%) patients were diagnosed with more than one STD. Of these patients, 13 were seropositive for HIV, resulting in a prevalence of 2.12%.

The epidemiological profile of STDs is ever changing, and this study found an increase in viral and fungal STDs and downward trend of bacterial STDs comparable to that of studies from other regions.