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.