Study of patterns of sexually transmitted diseases using a syndromic approach in the era of human immunodeficiency virus from a tertiary care hospital of the Northern India

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase the risk of transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection causing immense need to understand the patterns of STIs prevailing in the regions of a country for proper planning and implementation of STI control strategies. Due to the lack of adequate laboratory infrastructure in the country, information regarding the profile of STIs relies essentially on syndromic diagnosis. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To study the pattern of common STIs and the prevalence of HIV infection in patients attending the STI clinic of a tertiary care hospital in northern part of India using a syndromic approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data collected from the clinical records of 2700 patients over a period of 21 months (July 2012 to March 2014) was carried out at the Skin and VD Department of SMS Hospital, Jaipur. Detailed history, demographical data, and clinical features were recorded from all the patients. All patients were tested for HIV by ELISA and rapid plasma reagin. STIs were categorized in different syndromes as depicted by National AIDS Control Organization in the syndromic management of STIs. The data collected was analyzed statistically. The proportions were calculated for various syndromes and disease prevalence. RESULTS: The overall most common STI was balanoposthitis, followed by genital herpes, vaginal/cervical discharge, molluscum contagiosum, genital warts, nonherpetic genital ulcer disease, lower abdominal pain, and urethral discharge in decreasing order. Among the study population, 2.55% were found to be HIV-positive. CONCLUSION: Viral STIs such as molluscum contagiosum, herpes genitalis, and condylomata acuminata are on the rise among STI/RTI clinic attendees.