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Morbidity Profile of Patients With Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Their Determinants in a Tertiary Care
Rajesh R1, Koushik Shome2, Prodip Sarkar2
1Dermatology, Employee's State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College & Hospital, Alwar, IND.
Insights
Younger women in India experience earlier sexual debuts and higher rates of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Knowledge of STIs and consistent condom use are key protective factors against various infections.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) pose a significant health challenge in India, particularly affecting its young population.
- Understanding the patterns and determinants of STIs is crucial for effective public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and patterns of different STIs among patients attending a tertiary hospital's STI clinic.
- To identify key determinants associated with various types of STIs in this population.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 340 new STI cases over one year.
- Data collection included socio-demographic profiles, sexual history, STI knowledge, and safe sex practices via a semi-structured questionnaire.
- Clinical examinations were conducted by a dermatologist.
Main Results:
- The average age of participants was 27.1 years; females had a significantly earlier age of first sexual encounter (18.5 years) compared to males (21.2 years).
- Bacterial vaginosis (BV) and trichomoniasis were common causes of genital discharge, while genital syphilis and herpes were the most frequent ulcerative STIs.
- Female gender was a predictor for bacterial STIs, whereas knowledge about STIs and late sexual debut were protective against viral STIs (including HIV).
- Older age predicted fungal STIs, and consistent condom use demonstrated a protective effect.
Conclusions:
- Female participants exhibited earlier sexual debut and a higher likelihood of contracting bacterial STIs.
- Targeted interventions focusing on younger populations, promoting STI knowledge, and encouraging safe sex practices like consistent condom use are essential.
Background:
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have a tremendous health burden in India, owing to its younger population. The current study was conducted to study the pattern of different STIs and their determinants among cases presenting to a tertiary hospital STI clinic.
Methods:
In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 340 new cases of STIs attending the STI clinic during one year were enrolled. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to record the socio-demographic profile, sexual history, knowledge of STIs, and safe sex measures. A dermatologist performed the clinical examination, including a general and systemic examination.
Results:
The mean age of the participants was 27.10 years (± 6.03) with a range from 17 to 45 years. The mean age at the first sexual encounter was significantly lower in females as compared to males (18.5 years versus 21.2 years, t=13.85, p=0.000). The most common morbidity among females was bacterial vaginosis (BV) (72, 43.4%), and the common STIs were herpes genitalis (52, 15.3%), Candida infection (49, 14.4%), non-gonococcal urethritis/cervicitis (43, 12.6%), trichomoniasis (42, 12.4%), genital warts (31, 9.1%), gonorrhea (22, 6.5%), and syphilis (19, 5.6%). Using binary logistic regression, the predictor of bacterial STI was female gender (odds ratio (OR): 2.033, 95% CI: 1.288-3.208), and knowledge about STI was protective (OR: .640, 95% CI: 0.403-1.014). On the contrary, for viral STIs (including HIV), female gender (OR: .120, 95% CI: .060-.241) and late age of sexual debut (OR: 0.891, 95% CI: .779-1.019) were protective. The predictors of fungal STIs were older age (OR: 1.077, 95% CI: 1.027-1.130), and correct and consistent use of condoms was a protective factor (OR: .279, 95% CI: 0.083-0.943).
Conclusion:
The study concluded that female participants had significantly younger ages of sexual debut, and they also had higher chances of bacterial STIs. Genital syphilis and herpes were the most common ulcerative STIs, whereas BV and trichomoniasis were the most common causes of genital discharge.
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