title: The three-year positivity rate of sexually transmitted infections among a group of HIV-infected men attending the Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Edinburgh, UK.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) among patients at the time of and subsequent to the diagnosis of HIV, and possible immunological or virological features of patients with STI. An observational study was carried out on the results of annual STI screenings conducted on consecutive HIV-infected men in the Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Edinburgh between 1 January 1999 and 1 January 2003. Patients were tested for syphilis, gonococcal, and chlamydial infections. Among the 79 male patients in the study cohort, the frequencies of all STI rose within the study period. The three-year positivity rates of episodes of gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and syphilis were (42/131) 32%, (21/127) 16%, and (13/150) 9%, respectively. Patients with STI had significantly higher median CD4+ T-cells (P<0.02) and lower median viral loads (P<0.0001), and a higher proportion of them were on highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) (P<0.0002) compared with those without an STI. Routine screening for STI and counselling for safe sex should be part of care for all HIV-infected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Lothian Teaching Hospitals, Edinburgh, UK. tirbad@yahoo.com
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Manavi
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McMillan
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D005260:Female; D052776:Female Urogenital Diseases; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D052801:Male Urogenital Diseases; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015231:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D019562:Viral Load