Symptomatic Sexually Transmitted Infections in Brazil's Emerging Rural Populations

Syphilis in riverine communities: prevalence and associated factors

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the prevalence of syphilis and associated factors in riverine communities.

METHOD

This is a cross-sectional and analytical study carried out with 250 riverside dwellers living in five communities in the city of João Pessoa, state of Paraíba. Data were collected through interviews and rapid screening tests to investigate syphilis. Bivariate, logistic regression and weight of evidence analysis were performed to identify the association between risk factors and behavior variables and rapid test positivity.

RESULTS

he prevalence of syphilis was 11.6% (95%CI: 7.5-15.6). Riverside dwellers who have a previous history of Sexually Transmitted Infection (OR 8.00; 95%CI: 2.76-23.2), history of imprisonment (OR 7.39; 95%CI: 1.61-33.7) and who reported having more than two sexual partners in the last 12 months (OR 4.31; 95%CI: 1.55-11.9) were more likely to be positive for syphilis.

CONCLUSION

High prevalence of syphilis among riverside dwellers and the presence of behavioral factors that increase vulnerability to acquiring the infection. The need to invest in preventive and screening strategies for syphilis in populations considered vulnerable is highlighted.

Characterization of sexually transmitted infections, their pharmacological treatment, and recurrence in a Colombian population

Introduction:

Sexually transmitted infections are a public health problem worldwide. Their inadequate antimicrobial management has been associated with a higher risk of recurrence.

Objective:

To characterize the main sexually transmitted infections, the adherence to clinical practice guidelines, and the factors associated with recurrence in Colombia.

Materials and methods:

We conducted an observational study to identify the main sexually transmitted infections, the sociodemographic variables, and the pharmacological management in a patient cohort from a population database of 6.5 million people affiliated with the Colombian health system. We made a multivariate analysis to identify the variables associated with recurrence.

Results:

We detected 3,158 patients with a mean age of 41.8 ± 14.5 years, of whom 63.1% were men. We found 4.030 episodes of sexually transmitted infections, predominantly urethral syndrome (27.5%). Only 13.6% of patients with urethral syndrome, ulcerative syndrome, or genital warts were managed in compliance with clinical practice guidelines and 20.6% were dispensed condoms; 16.7% of patients had recurrences and being male (OR=1.32; 95%CI 1.08-1.63), <30 years old (OR=1.72; 95%CI 1.40-2.13), being treated in municipalities other than capital cities (OR=1.43; 95%CI 1.06-1.94), and having received inadequate treatment for the first episode (OR=1.93; 95%CI 1.52-2.39) were associated with recurrence.

Conclusions:

The majority of patients with sexually transmitted infections were not treated in compliance with clinical practice guidelines and those who did not have adequate management had a higher risk of recurrence.