Treatment regimens of STD patients in Cameroon: a need for intervention

The management of patients with STDs is an important element in the fight against AIDS. To define effective STD control strategies a survey was carried out to understand the attitudes of STD patients and the treatment regimens they follow.

The study was based on interviews with male patients with typical symptoms of urethritis leaving private pharmacies in Douala and Yaoundé. Each case was asked to answer a questionnaire comprising the origin of the therapeutic choice, the nature and cost of the treatment and any advice received.

Fifty-six men in Douala and 86 in Yaoundé were recruited. The sources of prescription were dispensary (38%, 54%) private MD (9%, 15%) pharmacist (7%, 9%), diverse (46%, 21%) in Douala and Yaoundé respectively. At least two medicines were recommended in three-quarters of the patients. The most frequently used antibiotics were aminoglycosides and penicillin. The cost of the treatment ranged from $3.50 to $110. The more "medical" the initial visit, the higher was the cost of the prescribed treatment. In Douala only 49% of the prescribers advised the patients to treat their partners and condom promotion was done by 21% of the prescribers.

This survey provides useful data on the care of patients with urethritis. Such surveys are simple, rapid, reasonable inexpensive (about $10,000) and contribute to the efficient design of STD control strategies. In addition, repeat survey to monitor the impact of the strategies are simple to carry out.