CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH GONORRHEA AND SYPHILIS TREATED AT THE CITY INSTITUTE FOR SKIN AND VENEREAL DISEASES IN BELGRADE IN 2016 AND 2024
Abstract
Introduction/Aim: Gonorrhea and syphilis are common bacterial sexually transmitted infections, with a continuous increase being recorded worldwide. This rise is explained by the increase in risky sexual behaviors, meeting sexual partners through mobile applications, engaging in chemsex, as well as more frequent testing for these sexually transmitted infections among vulnerable groups. The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the characteristics of patients with gonorrhea and syphilis treated at the City Institute for Skin and Venereal Diseases in Belgrade during 2016 and 2024, and to identify factors that influence the current epidemiological situation related to gonorrhea and syphilis.
Methods: Data on basic demographic characteristics, sexual orientation, HIV status, and history of previous sexually transmitted infections among patients with gonorrhea and syphilis were collected from electronic medical records and partner notification forms of individuals diagnosed with these infections. The statistical analysis of the data was performed using the χ² test and Student's t-test.
Results: Patients diagnosed with gonorrhea in 2024, compared to those diagnosed in 2016, were significantly more often male (p<0.001), unmarried (p<0.001), had a higher level of education (p<0.001), were employed (p<0.001), foreign citizens (p<0.001), with a homosexual orientation (p<0.001), had a history of both gonorrhea and syphilis in their personal medical records (p<0.001), and were more often diagnosed with gonorrhea through sampling from extra genital sites (p<0.001). Patients diagnosed with syphilis in 2024, compared to those from 2016, were significantly more often unmarried (p<0.001), had a higher level of education (p<0.05), were employed (p<0.001), foreign citizens (p=0.01), with a homosexual orientation (p=0.001), and had a history of both gonorrhea and syphilis in their personal medical records (p=0.01).
Conclusion: More frequent testing for gonorrhea and syphilis among men who have sex with men, conducted by non-governmental organizations and as part of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis programs, modern diagnostic methods for gonorrhea using samples from the rectum and pharynx, engagement in risky sexual behavior involving chemsex, as well as migration driven by the war in Ukraine, have all contributed to the observed differences in the characteristics of individuals diagnosed with gonorrhea and syphilis in Belgrade during the years under study.
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