STDs
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released some a disturbing statistic this past week – one in four teenaged girls in the United States has a sexually transmitted disease (STD). As a physician and parent, I was surprised by such a high rate of incidence. Granted, in the Emergency Department emergency physicians evaluate for STDs on a daily basis, but the rate of positive tests in Central Wisconsin does not mirror the national results. Let’s look more closely at this study and common STDs.
What is an STD? As the name implies, an STD is an infection that is transmitted through sexual contact – specifically intercourse. The infections can be bacterial or viral and can survive a long time in one’s body. The patient may be completely symptom free, or gravely ill, when infected.
The infections enter the body via the genitalia, especially if there is a break in the skin. The infection can be spread from person to person via sexual contact and if the person is asymptomatic, it is likely that neither person will be aware of their exposure and infection.
What did the CDC study show? A total of 838 girls took part in the study. Of those, 26 percent of the girls between 14-19 years of age were infected with an STD. According to the study, Caucasians and Hispanics had a 20 percent infection rate, while Black females had a 50 percent infection rate.
What are the four most common STDs? The CDC study concentrated on four STDs – human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and genital herpes. These STDS are routinely looked for during an STD evaluation in the emergency room.
HPV, noted as a cancer-causing virus, had the highest rate of incidence. This virus can also cause genital warts. Despite the recent availability of an HPV vaccine for young girls, it has not yet had any impact on the current rates of HPV infection.
Chlamydia is one of the most common infections that emergency physicians diagnose. Untreated, this infection can lead to infertility and severe infection. The treatment is an antibiotic called doxycycline.
Trichomoniasis is another infection that leads to genital discharge and painful urination. This problem is also treated with antibiotics and long term complications are not that common.
Genital herpes is a very painful viral infection that results in blisters around the genitalia, similar to cold sores. While Herpes II causes genital herpes, cold sores are caused by its close relative, Herpes I. Antiviral medications will shorten the course of the infection Herpes II infection, but recurrence is quite common.
What should be done? Prevention is the best means of protecting our youth. Sexuality and sexual topics are difficult issues to address with teens, but these discussions must occur. Both abstinence and precautions must be discussed with youth because they do not frequently think about the long-term implications of pre-marital sexual activity, which can lead to infection, possible permanent infertility or pregnancy. Parents and health professionals need to take responsibility in addressing these issues.
