Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
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Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
General Information
NEWS:
1 in 4 women have STD linked to cervical cancer "One in four U.S. women ages 14 to 59 is infected with the sexually transmitted virus that in some forms can cause cervical cancer, according to the first broad national estimate. The figure is mostly in line with previous assessments. The highest prevalence - nearly 45 percent - was found in young women within the age range recommended for a new virus-fighting vaccine, according to a report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "
CDC Issues New Treatment Recommendations for Gonorrhea "The new guidelines recommending cephalosporin treatment are in response to gonorrhea resistance to fluoroquinolones, which is now widespread in the United States among heterosexuals and men who have sex with men."
Chlamydia infections on the rise
Condoms and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Condoms May Protect Young Women From HPV " Genital HPV infections are known to cause anogenital cancer and warts and are the most common cause of cervical cancer. Among newly sexually active women, consistent condom use by their partners appears to reduce the risk for cervical and vulvovaginal HPV infection. "
Equal Treatment "Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease among young women in America. And while it doesn't have the scare factor of HIV or herpes, if left untreated, chlamydia has potentially serious health consequences, including infections that could affect a woman's ability to conceive. For over a decade, doctors have recommended that women under 26 get tested for the disease annually, whether they have symptoms or not. Seventy-five percent of women and 50 percent of men with chlamydia have no symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control. . As many as 40 percent of women with untreated chlamydia have pelvic inflammatory disease, a condition that can result in permanent damage to the fallopian tubes and uterus, leading to chronic pelvic pain, infertility and a potentially fatal entopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus). And although complications among men are rare, they can be serious."
Estimate of AIDS Cases In U.S. Rises "What is uncertain is whether the American HIV epidemic is growing or is simply larger than anyone thought. It will take two more years of using the more accurate method of estimation to spot a trend and answer that question."
Genital Herpes: Stigma Still Strong
Gonorrhea linked to male bladder cancer risk "The link was stronger for invasive and advanced bladder cancer, which is more serious and difficult to treat, and among smokers."
Gonorrhea Rates Rising in Western States Since 2000
High Occurrence of a New Variant of Chlamydia trachomatis Escaping Diagnostic Tests Among STI Clinic Patients in Stockholm, Sweden. (Sex Transm Dis. 2007)
HPV and Cervical Cancer Prevention Counseling With Younger Adolescents: Implications for Primary Care. (Ann Fam Med. 2007)
HPV infections in adolescents. (Dis Markers. 2007) "Adolescents who are sexually active have the highest rates of prevalent and incident HPV infection rates with over 50-80% having infections within 2-3 years of initiating intercourse. These high rates reflect sexual behavior and biologic vulnerability. Most infections are transient in nature and cause no cytologic abnormality. However, a small number of adolescents will not clear the infection. Persistence of HPV is strongly linked to the development of high-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions (HSIL) and invasive cancer."
HPV infection in men. (Dis Markers. 2007) "Although HPV is transmitted sexually and infects the genitals of both sexes, the cervix remains biologically more vulnerable to malignant transformation than does the penis or anus in men. An understanding of male HPV infection is therefore important in terms of reducing transmission of HPV to women and improving women's health. However, it is also important due to the burden of disease in men, who may develop both penile and anal cancer, particularly among HIV-positive men who have sex with men."
HPV Vaccine for Men? "The highly publicized human papillomavirus (HPV) is not only a risk for women. Researchers have found the sexual partners of infected women are also at risk for oral HPV infection and subsequent oral cancers, making HPV an emerging epidemic among youth in the United States."
HPV Virus in Men "It can increase a man's risk of getting genital cancers, although these cancers are not common. HPV can also cause genital warts in men, just as in women. More than half of men who are sexually active in the United States will have HPV at some time in their life. Often, a man will clear the virus on his own, with no health problems. . Some of the 30 or so types of HPV associated with genital cancers can lead to cancer of the anus or penis in men. Both of these cancer types are rare. In those with a healthy immune system, they are even rarer. . Early treatment of warts is discouraged by some doctors because genital warts can go away on their own. It can also take time for all warts to appear. So a person who treats warts as soon as they appear may need another treatment later on."
Human papillomavirus and cervical cancer. (Lancet. 2007)
Informing Partners Improves Outcomes for Patients With Sexually Transmitted Infections "In the current systematic review of partner-notification systems for patients with STIs, patient-delivered antibiotics and information regarding STI combined with partner referral were the most effective means of reducing the risk for persistent or recurrent STIs. Home sampling might be an effective strategy for partner treatment of chlamydia."
[Mycoplasma genitalium: aetiological agent of sexually transmitted infection.] (Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2007)
New Challenges For Diagnosis Of Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infections "Bacteria evolve all the time, and the new sexually transmitted bacterial diseases including this new variant of Chlamydia trachomatis are presenting fresh challenges in diagnosis to medical support teams."
Newly Identified Strains Of Chlamydia Trachomatis Could Produce New Diseases " A new study led by a scientist at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) is the first to conclude that Chlamydia trachomatis is evolving at a rate faster than scientists first thought or imagined. Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterium that is the leading cause of sexually transmitted diseases and the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Scientists believe the bacterium is evolving through a process called recombination where genes from one or more strains combine to create new strains and -- theoretically -- new diseases."
One-Third of HIV-Infected Gay Men Have Unsafe Sex: CDC
Playing Catch in Winter Could Save Kids' Pitching Arms “Playing catch with your young pitcher months before baseball season can help prevent an increasingly common pediatric pitching pitfall: torn rotator cuff injuries, according to doctors at Methodist Hospital in Houston. The data suggest that two factors - a high pitch count and throwing curve balls -- increases the risk of shoulder pain in young pitchers. Easing into baseball season by beginning practice in December may help reduce the risk of such shoulder injuries. “
Progression and regression of incident cervical HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18 infections in young women. (Infect Agent Cancer. 2007)
Receiving Oral Sex, Vaginal Intercourse Boost Chance of Herpes Infection "Vaginal intercourse and receiving oral sex can raise a woman's risk of infection from herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). That's the type of herpes that's most commonly known to cause infections of the mouth and lips, often called fever blisters or cold sores. HSV-1 and another herpes virus -- herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) -- make up genital herpes."
Report: Abstinence Not Curbing Teen Sex
Resistant bacteria heterosexually transmitted "Doctors in New York have identified three households in which there was clinical, microbiological, and molecular evidence of heterosexual transmission of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA)."
Risky Sex Returns Syphilis to Europe “Most cases of syphilis are in men, and experts point to more risky sex among gay men as the chief cause for the resurgence. But more cases are being seen among heterosexuals, both men and women, too.”
Screening for Chlamydial Infection: Recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Semen Ingredient 'Drastically' Enhances HIV Infection
Sex Diseases Still Rising; Chlamydia Is Leader "Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two most common diseases among those doctors must report in the United States. And the 1,030,911 cases of chlamydia in 2006 are the highest ever recorded for any nationally reported disease in any year, the officials said in releasing their annual report on sexually transmitted diseases. They said that because of underreporting, a more accurate estimate is 2.8 million new chlamydia cases annually. … The chlamydia microbe can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and resulting abdominal pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women."
Spread of AIDS in Africa Is Outpacing Treatment "But in sub-Saharan Africa, prevention programs have mostly failed to curb the behavior -- especially the habit of maintaining several sexual partners at a time -- that drives the epidemic, research indicates. So while antiretroviral drugs have prolonged and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Africans, millions more are being newly infected with a disease that is still incurable and, for most, terminal. In South Africa, AIDS deaths are projected to increase at least through 2025 despite steadily improving access to antiretrovirals, according to the Actuarial Society of South Africa. The prognosis on the rest of the continent is at least as bleak."
'Stealth' gonorrhea strains on the rise
Study Calls HIV in D.C. A 'Modern Epidemic' " … shows how a condition once considered a gay disease has moved into the general population. HIV was spread through heterosexual contact in more than 37 percent of the District's cases detected in that time period, in contrast to the 25 percent of cases attributable to men having sex with men."
Study: Relatively new STD eclipses gonorrhea "A relatively new sexually transmitted infection has surpassed Neisseria gonorrhea in prevalence among young adults in the U.S., according to a new study. Mycoplasma genitalium was first identified in the 1980s. It can cause inflammation of the urethra (the urinary passage from the bladder), in men, and inflammation of the cervix and the lining of the uterus in women, possibly leading to infertility. However, it seems many cases of the infection are symptom-free. "
Syphilis Cases on the Increase in New York City "In recent years, the disease has been most common in men who have sex with men. But now, health officials say they are concerned about an increase in cases among women in New York, following a trend seen nationally beginning in 2005. … Federal health officials estimate that those infected with syphilis are two to five times more likely to become infected with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, because of the open sores caused by syphilis."
Syphilis rise in gay, bisexual men causes worry
Trichomoniasis Highly Prevalent in US Black Women "Compared with women of other races, the prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis infection is more than 10 times higher in non-Hispanic black women of reproductive age, researchers report in the November 15th issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. Dr. Madeline Sutton of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues note that this common sexually transmitted protozoal infection can facilitate HIV transmission and is associated with adverse events including preterm birth. "
Virus Spread by Oral Sex Is Linked to Throat Cancer "The sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer also sharply increases the risk of certain types of throat cancer among people infected through oral sex, according to a study being published today. The study, involving 100 people with throat cancer and 200 without it, found that those infected with the human papillomavirus were 32 times as likely to develop one form of oral cancer than those free of the virus. Although previous research had indicated HPV caused oral cancer, the new study is the first to definitively establish the link, researchers said. "
ARTICLES:
Cryotherapy for Anogenital Warts: Factors Affecting Therapeutic Response "Human papilloma virus genital infection remains a treatment dilemma; there is still no gold standard therapy, treatment options are limited, expensive and often ineffective, and recurrence rates are relatively high. … We concluded that cryotherapy is an effective method for treatment of anogenital warts. The age of the patient and size of the lesions affect the cure rate. However, the most important factor in relapse of the lesions is unprotected sexual contact during and after treatment."
Gonorrhea and Chlamydia in the United States among Persons 14 to 39 Years of Age "The researchers estimated that 0.24% of persons 14 to 39 years of age have gonorrhea infection (fewer than 1 out of every 400 people) and 2.2% of persons 14 to 39 years of age have chlamydia infection (a little more than 2 out of every 100 people). Adolescents had the highest disease burden for gonorrhea and chlamydia compared with other age groups. Almost half of the people with gonorrhea infection also had chlamydia infection. Characteristics associated with higher infection rates were younger age, previous infection with gonorrhea or chlamydia, and non-Hispanic black race or ethnicity."
HPV vaccine: a cornerstone of female health.
JAMA Patient Page: Human Papillomavirus Infection
Patient information about HPV and the HPV vaccine.
Screening for Chlamydial Infection
Screening for Chlamydial Infection: Recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force "Women are at increased risk for chlamydia if they have 1 or more of the following factors: 1) They are 24 years of age or younger and are sexually active; 2) they have previously had chlamydia or another sexually transmitted infection; 3) they have new or multiple sexual partners; 4) they do not use condoms regularly; or 5) they exchange sex for money or drugs. Previous studies show that the benefits of screening nonpregnant and pregnant women at increased risk for infection clearly outweigh the harms. For pregnant and nonpregnant women who are not at increased risk, the benefits of screening outweigh the harms only to a small degree. Research is not available to determine the benefits and harms of screening men for chlamydia. "
STDs in patients with multiple partners: confidentiality.
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
AIDS in the Third World: how to stop the HIV infection? (Verh K Acad Geneeskd Belg. 2007)
Biological and demographic causes of high HIV and STD prevalence in men who have sex with men. (Sex Transm Infect. 2007)
Burden of Recurrent Chlamydia trachomatis Infections in Young Women (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007) "Conclusion Recurrent C trachomatis infections comprise a substantial health burden among young women, possibly higher than previously recognized in this vulnerable population."
[Chlamydia trachomatis infections - a time for action?] (Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 2007) "Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world. In women it mainly occurs before the age of 25 years, while in men it can still be diagnosed till the age of 35 years. In Western Europe the prevalence of a Chlamydia trachomatis infection has been estimated, according to WHO data, as between 2.7% (Italy) and 8.0% (Island)."
Chlamydia trachomatis prevalence in heterosexual men in Melbourne: a community-based study. (Sex Health. 2007)
Chlamydia trachomatis: milestones in clinical and microbiological diagnostics in the last hundred years: a review. (Acta Microbiol Immunol Hung. 2007)
Condom Use and its Association With Bacterial Vaginosis and Bacterial Vaginosis-Associated Vaginal Microflora. (Epidemiology. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS:: Consistent condom use was associated with a decrease in the risk for bacterial vaginosis and associated vaginal microflora."
Current controversies in the management of adult syphilis. (Clin Infect Dis. 2007)
Dementia and white-matter demyelination in young patient with neurosyphilis (The Lancet 2007)
Drugs Losing Efficacy Against Gonorrhea "Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea is spreading rapidly across the United States, federal health officials reported yesterday, raising alarm about doctors' ability to treat the common sexually transmitted infection."
Effect of human papillomavirus 16/18 L1 viruslike particle vaccine among young women with preexisting infection: a randomized trial. (JAMA. 2007) "CONCLUSION: In women positive for HPV DNA, HPV-16/18 vaccination does not accelerate clearance of the virus and should not be used to treat prevalent infections."
Genital ulcerative disease and sexually transmitted urethritis and circumcision: a meta-analysis. (Int J STD AIDS. 2007)
Hidden Epidemic of Chlamydia Infections in Young Women? (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007) "The authors conclude that Chlamydia trachomatis infections occur often in young women and suggest that aggressive follow-up and treatment are needed."
HIV Prevalence, Previous HIV Testing, and Condom Use with Clients and Regular Partners among Senegalese Commercial Sex Workers. (Sex Transm Infect. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: CSWs in Senegal have a high HIV prevalence; therefore preventing HIV transmission from this population to the general population is important. Condom use with regular partners is low among registered CSWs in Senegal, and a prior HIV negative test is associated with even less condom use with regular partners. Intervention efforts to increase condom use with regular sexual partners are needed."
[HIV sexual transmission. Sexuality and at risk behavior] (Rev Enferm. 2007) "Although 40-70% of cases of HIV infection continues to occur among young male homosexuals, the annual incidence in new cases by which HIV is transmitted through heterosexual contact is undergoing a constant increase throughout the world, especially among females; 40% in males and close to 80% of the new infections by heterosexual contact in females. The findings make obvious the need to insist on preventive measures as the only way to stop this means of HIV transmission."
HIV/AIDS among Hispanics--United States, 2001-2005. (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2007)
HPV type-specific risks of high-grade CIN during 4 years of follow-up: A population-based prospective study. (Br J Cancer. 2007) "HPV 16, 31 and 33 conveyed the highest risks and were responsible for 33.1, 18.3 and 7.7% of CIN2+ cases, respectively. Women infected with HPV 18, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 and 66 had significantly lower risks of CIN2+ than women infected with HPV 16."
Human papillomavirus: often harmless but in some cases carcinogenic. (Prescrire Int. 2007)
Integrating viral hepatitis prevention into STD clinics in Illinois (excluding Chicago), 1999-2005. (Public Health Rep. 2007) "Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all clients of sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics. Hepatitis A vaccination and hepatitis C testing are recommended for STD clinic clients who report specific risks for those viruses. In 1999, the Illinois Department of Public Health began working with local health departments in Illinois (excluding Chicago) to introduce hepatitis B testing and vaccination in public STD clinics. Hepatitis A vaccination and hepatitis C counseling and testing were introduced in 2001."
Male circumcision as a preventive measure against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. (Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2007)
Management of Uncomplicated Chlamydia trachomatis Infections in Adolescents and Adults: Evidence Reviewed for the 2006 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines. (Clin Infect Dis. 2007)
Men's circumcision status and women's risk of HIV acquisition in Zimbabwe and Uganda. (AIDS. 2007)
Mycoplasma genitalium among adolescent women and their partners. (J Adolesc Health. 2007)
Mycoplasma genitalium Among Young Adults in the United States: An Emerging Sexually Transmitted Infection. (Am J Public Health. 2007)
Predictors of Risky Sexual Behavior among Adolescents in Tanzania. (AIDS Behav. 2007)
Prevalence of HPV Infection Among Females in the United States (JAMA. 2007) "HPV is common among females in the United States. Our data indicate that the burden of prevalent HPV infection among females was greater than previous estimates and was highest among those aged 20 to 24 years. However, the prevalence of HPV vaccine types was relatively low."
Prevention and Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases: An Update (Am Fam Physician 2007)
Resurgence of early congenital syphilis in Alberta. (CMAJ. 2007) " Transmission of syphilis to a fetus depends largely on the duration of the disease in the mother.5 The longer the interval between infection and pregnancy, the more benign the outcome in the infant (Kassowitz's law).6 The risk of transmission is 70%-100% in women with primary or secondary syphilis, 40% with early latent syphilis and 10% in late latent cases.7 About 40% of pregnancies in women with infectious syphilis result in the death of the fetus.8 Spirochetes can cross the placenta and infect the fetus at as early as 9 weeks of gestation, with the risk of fetal infection increasing with gestational age.9"
Risk factors and characteristics of patients with gonorrhoea presenting to Auckland Sexual Health Service, New Zealand. (N Z Med J. 2007) "CONCLUSION: The incidence of gonorrhoea in the Auckland population is steadily rising, with the main risk factors being age under 25 and being of Maori or Pacific ethnicity. Genetic diversity amongst ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates is increasing, thus indicating high levels of endemic infection."
Sexually Transmitted Infections in Western Europe Among HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex With Men. (Sex Transm Dis. 2007)
Self-Reported Condom Use is Associated With Reduced Risk of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Trichomoniasis. (Sex Transm Dis. 2007)
Syphilis and HIV infection: an update. (Clin Infect Dis. 2007)
Syphilis Infection Among Female Sex Workers in Colombia. (J Immigr Minor Health. 2007) "Conclusions Effective health education programs for improving the level of knowledge of STI and the promotion of consistent condom use activities along with other appropriate harm reduction activities are urgently required among FSW in Colombia."
Tertiary syphilis. (Int J Dermatol. 2007)
The burden of genital warts: a study of nearly 70,000 women from the general female population in the 4 nordic countries. (J Infect Dis. 2007) "Conclusions. The data suggest that 1 in 10 women in the Nordic countries experience genital warts before the age of 45 years, with an increasing occurrence in younger birth cohorts. These data are important for developing and evaluating strategies (e.g., human papillomavirus [HPV] vaccination) to control and prevent HPV infection and disease in the population."
The prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis infection among reproductive-age women in the United States, 2001-2004. (Clin Infect Dis. 2007)
The rash of secondary syphilis. (CMAJ. 2007)
The resurgence of syphilis among men who have sex with men. (Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2007)
The syphilis outbreak in Northern Ireland. (Int J STD AIDS. 2007)
Trends in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and 2 Infections Among Patients Diagnosed With Genital Herpes in a Finnish Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic, 1994-2002. (Sex Transm Dis. 2007) " CONCLUSIONS:: An increase in the proportion of genital infections caused by HSV-1 was found. The increase was mainly the result of the increase in the number of female patients with HSV-1. Male patients acquire genital HSV-1 infection at a younger age than 10 years ago."
Urinary symptoms in adolescent females: STI or UTI? (J Adolesc Health. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent females with urinary symptoms should be tested for both UTI and STIs. Urinalysis results may be helpful to direct initial therapy."
[Urogenital chlamydial infections in women and men.] (Hautarzt. 2007) " About 100,000 German women are sterile because of tubal scarring due to chlamydiae. Genital chlamydial infections are asymptomatic in 70% of patients, even if salpingitis occurs. Typical symptoms of chlamydial infection are purulent cervicitis with vaginal discharge, painful cervical bleeding because of endometritis, lower abdominal pain with dyspareunia, and upper abdominal pain because of perihepatitis. DNA amplification tests on first voided urine or cervical swab are the most sensitive routine tests. . In the male, C. trachomatis causes urethritis and epididymitis."
Women at risk for sexually transmitted diseases: correlates of intercourse without barrier contraception. (Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007)
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