In Catalonia, the global prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) described is 4%, but it is known that it is much more frequent in young women, so international organizations recommend regular screening of this population, since in general, infected people are asymptomatic.

Since 2019, the Dexeus Mujer center has been performing CT screenings on a regular basis among sexually active women between the ages of 18 and 24 who attend its gynecology consultations. For this reason, he decided to carry out a prospective study, led by the Dr Núria Parera, head of the Childhood and Adolescence Gynaecology Unit, in order to assess its prevalence in this population group.

In total, 516 patients were selected who had undergone an STI screening between May 2017 and May 2019, who had a mean of 22.0 ± 1.9 years. All were previously informed about the characteristics of the study and signed an informed consent.

The results of the work confirm the frequency of this bacterial infection among young women under 25 years of age living in Catalonia, since 4.5% were positive for CT in the test. However, its authors indicate that its prevalence is probably higher, since “our study is limited to patients who attended a private centre, but the majority of women under 25 years do not attend gynaecology consultations and, if they do, it is usually on a one-off basis or to consult other problems, so this STI is underdiagnosed”, says Dr Parera. The study was recently published in the official journal of the Spanish Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

Reference article:

Prevalencia de la infección por Chlamydia trachomatis en mujeres adolescentes y jóvenes que acuden a una consulta ambulatoria de ginecología
Progresos de Obstetricia y Ginecología, revista Oficial de la Sociedad Española de Ginecología y Obstetricia; volumen 63, número 4, Págs. 212-272, ISSN: 0304-5013