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.