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. 2014 Nov;90(7):524-8.
doi: 10.1136/sextrans-2014-051607. Epub 2014 Aug 6.

Frequency and risk factors for incident and redetected Chlamydia trachomatis infection in sexually active, young, multi-ethnic women: a community based cohort study

Adamma Aghaizu  1 , Fiona Reid  2 , Sally Kerry  3 , Phillip E Hay  4 , Harry Mallinson  5 , Jorgen S Jensen  6 , Sarah Kerry  2 , Sheila Kerry  2 , Pippa Oakeshott  2
Affiliations

Frequency and risk factors for incident and redetected Chlamydia trachomatis infection in sexually active, young, multi-ethnic women: a community based cohort study

Adamma Aghaizu et al. Sex Transm Infect. 2014 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the frequency and risk factors for incident and redetected Chlamydia trachomatis infection in sexually active, young, multi-ethnic women in the community.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: 20 London universities and Further Education colleges.

Participants: 954 sexually experienced women, mean age 21.5 years (range 16-27), 26% from ethnic minorities, who were recruited to the Prevention of Pelvic Infection (POPI) chlamydia screening trial between 2004 and 2006, and returned repeat postal self-taken vaginal swabs 11-32 (median 16) months after recruitment.

Results: The estimated annual incidence of chlamydia infection among 907 women who tested negative at baseline was 3.4 per 100 person-years (95% CI 2.5 to 4.6 per 100 person-years), but 6.6 per 100 person-years (95% CI 4.5 to 9.3 per 100 person-years) in the 326 teenagers (<20 years). Predictors of incident chlamydia infection were age <20 years (relative risk (RR) 4.0, 95% CI 2.1 to 7.5), and (after adjusting for age) a new sexual partner during 12 months follow-up (RR 4.4, 95% CI 2.0 to 9.9), smoking (RR 2.2 95% CI 1.2 to 3.9), concurrent bacterial vaginosis (RR 2.0 95% CI 1.1 to 3.9) and high risk carcinogenic human papillomavirus (RR 2.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.3). Of 47 women positive for chlamydia at baseline, 12 (25.5%, 95% CI 13.9% to 40.3%) had redetected infection at a median of 16 months follow-up. Taking into account follow-up time (65 person-years), the annual redetection rate was 18.5 per 100 person-years (95% CI 9.9 to 30.0 per 100 person-years).

Conclusions: One in four women with chlamydia infection at baseline retested positive, supporting recent recommendations to routinely retest chlamydia positives.

Keywords: Chlamydia Infection; Chlamydia Trachomatis; Public Health; Sexual Health; Testing.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart for 954 women who provided repeat postal samples 11–32 (median 16) months after recruitment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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