Epidemiological features of women with trichomoniasis in Auckland sexual health clinics: 1998-99.

AIM

To determine some epidemiological features of female sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic attendees with Trichomonas vaginalis infection.

METHODS

A retrospective audit of patient charts was performed on all cases of T. vaginalis infection diagnosed in female patients in an 18-month period from January 1998 to June 1999 (n=88). Descriptive features of these cases were collated. The ethnicity of female patients with T. vaginalis was compared to that of all other female attendees within the same period.

RESULTS

The incidence of T. vaginalis infection was 2.2% in 1998 1999. The mean age of patients was 26.5 years. Maori and Polynesian women were over-represented. Overall, patients were more likely to be symptomatic at presentation (78%) and to have abnormal findings on clinical examination (81%). 28% had co-existing chlamydia infection and 10% had co-existing gonorrhoea infection.

CONCLUSIONS

The mean age of 26.5 years is lower than that quoted in other studies. The majority of patients had more than one condition at diagnosis. The rate of co-infection with chlamydia is high and some consideration could be given to empirical treatment of chlamydia in patients diagnosed with T. vaginalis infection.