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STDs more common in adolescents than previously thought
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CHICAGO – As many as 26% of adolescent girls in the United States may be infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease, according to a new CDC study presented at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference, held here last month.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officers presented data from the study, in which the researchers examined the prevalence of human papillomavirus, chlamydia, herpes simplex virus and trichomoniasis among girls aged 14 to 19 years in the United States. The study was based on an analysis of data from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, according to Sara Forhan, MD, of the CDC.
Approximately half of the participants in the study reported having sex. Among these girls, the prevalence of STDs was 40%. Among girls who reported only one lifetime sex partner, the prevalence of STDs was 20.4%. The STD prevalence among girls who reported three or more lifetime sex partners was approximately 50%.
The researchers also found that the risk for STDs may be higher among black adolescent girls. In this study, 48% of black girls had at least one STD compared with 20% of adolescent white girls in the study.
According to the study results, the two most common STDs among adolescent girls were HPV and chlamydia. Approximately 18% of girls were infected with HPV and 4% were infected with chlamydia.