Prevalence of sexually transmissible infections in adolescents treated in a family planning outpatient clinic for adolescents in the western Amazon

Ida Peréa Monteiro; Camila Flávia Gomes Azzi; João Paolo Bilibio; Pedro Sadi Monteiro; Giordana Campos Braga; Nadjar Nitz

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0287633

Prevalence of sexually transmissible infections in adolescents treated in a family planning outpatient clinic for adolescents in the western Amazon

PLoS One. 2023 Jun 23;18(6):e0287633. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287633. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ida Peréa Monteiro¹, Camila Flávia Gomes Azzi², João Paolo Bilibio³, Pedro Sadi Monteiro⁴, Giordana Campos Braga⁵, Nadjar Nitz⁶

Affiliations

¹ Municipal Health Department, Mãe Esperança Municipal Maternity, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil.
² Molecular Biology Laboratory, Central Laboratory of Public Health of Rondônia, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil.
³ Faculty of Medicine, Centro Universitário de Brusque-UNIFEBE, Brusque, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Nursing, University of Brasilia, Brasília, Brazil.
⁵ Department of Social Medicine, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁶ Faculty of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biosciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.

Abstract

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.

Copyright: © 2023 Monteiro et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Ambulatory Care Facilities
Chlamydia Infections* / epidemiology
Family Planning Services
Gonorrhea* / epidemiology
HIV Infections* / diagnosis
Hepatitis B* / epidemiology
Hepatitis C*
Humans
Prevalence
Quality of Life
Sexually Transmitted Diseases* / prevention & control
Syphilis* / epidemiology
Trichomonas Infections* / epidemiology
Young Adult

Grants and funding

1- Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de Rondônia (State Department of Health of Rondônia). that purchased or kits for the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections. 2- LACEN/RO - Laboratório Central de Saúde Pública de Rondônia (Central Public Health Laboratory of Rondônia) place where the laboratory tests were performed. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.