Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in small rural town family planning clinics in the central belt of Scotland.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of chlamydia infection in women under 25 attending community-based family planning/sexual health clinics in West Lothian.


METHODS
Two hundred and three women under 25 attending over a six month period were offered a urine test for chlamydia trachomatis. The tests were performed using the ligase chain reaction method.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of infection was 5%. The rate in women under 20 (100 women) was 10% and in the group aged between 20 and 25 (also 100 women) was 3%.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of chlamydia infection in women under 20 years from West Lothian was high. There is no genito urinary medicine (GUM) service in West Lothian. Providing this service should help to improve awareness, detection and management of this common sexually transmitted disease.
Sudlow
E
E
Lothian Family Planning and Well Woman Services, 18 Dean Terrace, Edinburgh.
Court
S
S
Smith
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology