1 - Pediatria Geral, Hospital Dona Estefânia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Central, Lisboa
2 - Unidade de Pediatria, Hospital Vila Franca de Xira, Vila Franca de Xira
3 - Unidade de Infecciologia, Hospital Dona Estefânia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Central, Lisboa
- Poster View and Presentation on the 41st Annual Meeting of the European Society for Peadiatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID 2023)
Introduction
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are a health care concern worldwide. Adolescents are at special risk as they are prone to high-risk sexual behaviors.
Objectives/methods: We aim to describe two pediatric populations from a level two and a level three Paediatric Hospitals in Portugal, with confirmed STI between January 2018 and November 2022 (5 years).
Case series Presentation
Tertiary hospital: 53 adolescents, ages between 12 and 18 (median of 17 year old), 33 (62%) of them male. The most prevalent STI was Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) n=33 (62%), followed by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) n=30 (57%). Other STIs also identified were syphilis n=6, hepatitis B virus n=3, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) n=1 and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) n=1. Coinfection was identified in 19 cases (36%): CT/NG n=15, CT/NG/syphilis n=2, CT/syphilis n=1 and NG/TV n=1.
Level two hospital: 25 adolescents, ages between 13 and 18 (median of 17 years old), 16 of them female (64%). The most prevalent STI was also CT n=13 (50%), followed by NG n=10 (38%). Coinfection CT/NG was diagnosed in 4 cases (15%). Other STIs also identified were syphilis n=4, HIV n=1 and TV n=1.
Conclusion
These two case series show similarities regarding the types and distribution of the STIs identified, reflecting similarities in sexual practices between adolescents from two different social contexts. It also underlines the importance of the consideration of STIs in early age groups, as some infections were diagnosed before 14 years old. Prevention and early diagnosis and treatment of STIs should be the focus of future discussion to decrease the impact of these diseases.
Palavras Chave: adolescents, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, sexually transmitted infections, syphilis.