Abstract
Sexually transmitted infections are common infectious diseases. The main aim of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of the incidence of bacterial sexually transmitted infections in 2010–2015 in Poland, taking into account the administrative division of the country into provinces. This was a retrospective study. The analysed data came from the Centre for Health Information Systems of the Ministry of Health and constituted information being the epidemiological surveillance system in Poland. The analysis included data on the incidence of primary and secondary syphilis, gonorrhoea and non-gonococcal urethritis and genital infections. The overall incidence rates were disproportionately lower than European rates and those presented in studies from other countries. Young people, between 20 and 29 years of age, were the key groups at the highest risk of infection. The incidence rate of primary and secondary syphilis was lower in Poland than in Europe or America, but some regions, such as Mazovia and Lodz provinces, were found to have a higher incidence rate than other European rates. The reported incidence of gonorrhoea in Poland was also significantly lower compared with other countries, with a significantly higher number of infections in males than in females, and this was also one of the highest rates in EU countries. During the study period, the number of non-gonococcal genital infections systematically decreased, while in other countries of the European region, the incidence was among the highest of all sexually transmitted infections.
Highlights
Transmitted infections (STIs) are clinical syndromes caused by pathogens that can be acquired and transmitted through sexual activity
The analysis showed that: In Lower Silesia, a rather marked increase in the incidence of gonorrhoea and moderate upward trends were observed for syphilis and non-gonococcal urethral and genital infections (NGU), with only the incidence of gonorrhoea showing statistical significance; A systematic decrease in the incidence of syphilis was observed in Lesser Poland during the analysed period (R = −0.94); A statistically significant strong upward trend in the incidence rate of gonorrhoea was noted in Greater Poland (R = 0.89)
The analysis of the results showed that: There is a correlation between the incidence rates of individual diseases, but there is no relationship between them; The weakest correlation was for gonorrhoea; The diseases for which the incidence rates were most clearly correlated were: nonurethral urethritis and syphilis
Summary
Transmitted infections (STIs) are clinical syndromes caused by pathogens that can be acquired and transmitted through sexual activity. Transmitted infections are the most common infectious diseases worldwide, with over 357 million new cases each year in the 15–49 age group [2]. This group of infections is responsible for far-reaching health, social and economic consequences. The prevalence of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has shown a significant upward trend in recent years. This trend is primarily reflected in the increased incidence of syphilis in many countries, e.g., Germany [4]. Genitourinary chlamydial infections (131 million worldwide) were the second most common infection in 2012 after Trichomonas vaginalis infection [5]
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