Municipal Health Department, Mãe Esperança Municipal Maternity, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil.
Molecular Biology Laboratory, Central Laboratory of Public Health of Rondônia, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil.
PLoS One. 2023 Jun 23;18(6):e0287633. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287633. eCollection 2023.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are among the most common public health problems worldwide, especially among adolescents and young adults, who account for almost 50% of all STI patients. Studies on the subject in the western Amazon are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, herpes simplex virus, syphilis, human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], hepatitis B, and hepatitis C) in adolescents treated at a family planning outpatient clinic in the western Amazon: Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil. A total of 196 adolescents were enrolled. During the gynecological examination, endocervical samples were collected to test for four STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and herpes simplex virus), and blood samples were collected for the detection of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C. The mean age was 17.3 ± 1.5 years, the age at sexarche was 14.4 ± 1.6 years, and 54.6% of participants had their first sexual intercourse at 14 years or younger. Only 1.0% of the adolescents used condoms in all sexual relations, and 19.9% had casual partner(s) in the last year. In the evaluation of prevalence, we found that 32% of the adolescents had at least one STI, with the most prevalent being chlamydia (23%), followed by trichomoniasis (5.6%), herpes simplex (4.6%), and gonorrhea (3.1%). No positive cases of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV were detected, but 1% of the adolescents tested positive for syphilis. These indicators will support more effective health care strategies aimed at improving the quality of life of populations in this region of the western Amazon. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated high rates of STIs in the studied patients, reinforcing the need to expand epidemiological studies to implement more appropriate public policies and intervention strategies to prevent STIs in adolescents and other vulnerable populations in the western Amazon.
性传播感染（STIs）是全球最常见的公共卫生问题之一，尤其是在青少年和年轻成年人中，他们几乎占所有 STI 患者的 50%。关于亚马逊西部地区这一主题的研究有限。本研究旨在评估在亚马逊西部地区的罗赖马州 Porto Velho 的计划生育门诊接受治疗的青少年中 STIs（衣原体、淋病、滴虫病、单纯疱疹病毒、梅毒、人类免疫缺陷病毒[HIV]、乙型肝炎和丙型肝炎）的流行率。共纳入 196 名青少年。在妇科检查期间，采集宫颈内样本检测四种 STIs（衣原体、淋病、滴虫病和单纯疱疹病毒），采集血液样本检测 HIV、梅毒以及乙型和丙型肝炎。平均年龄为 17.3 ± 1.5 岁，性成熟年龄为 14.4 ± 1.6 岁，54.6%的参与者在 14 岁或以下首次发生性行为。仅有 1.0%的青少年在所有性行为中使用避孕套，19.9%的青少年在过去一年中有过性伴侣。在流行率评估中，我们发现 32%的青少年至少有一种 STI，最常见的是衣原体（23%），其次是滴虫病（5.6%）、单纯疱疹（4.6%）和淋病（3.1%）。未发现乙型肝炎、丙型肝炎或 HIV 阳性病例，但有 1%的青少年梅毒检测呈阳性。这些指标将支持制定更有效的卫生保健策略，旨在改善该地区人口的生活质量。总之，我们的研究结果表明，研究患者中的 STIs 发病率较高，这加强了扩大流行病学研究的必要性，以实施更适合的公共政策和干预策略，预防亚马逊西部地区青少年和其他弱势群体的 STIs。
