Educational Pearls:
- Most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) in North America: Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
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- From the emergency department patients should be connected to follow-up care and educated on vaccine series
- Most common non-viral STD in North America: Trichomonas Vaginalis
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- While men may be asymptomatic, they can transmit the disease to women who may experience irritation leading to increased likelihood of PID and contraction of other STDs and HIV
- Trichomonas is diagnosed via wet preparation with visualization of motile parasites
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- Similarly, men's urine can be tested for visualized motile parasites
- Expedite lab as parasites are motile for about one hour
- PCR test is becoming more available
- Most common bacterial STD in North America: Chlamydia trachomatis
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- Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a less common bacterial STD but does have high rates of drug resistance
- Empiric STD treatment includes IM Ceftriaxone and PO Doxycycline
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- Providers should consider adding Flagyl for Trichomonas Vaginalis coverage
References
Sexually transmitted disease surveillance, 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2020/default.htm. Published August 22, 2022. Accessed November 21, 2022.
Workowski KA, Bachmann LH, Chan PA, et al. Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2021;70(4):1-187. Published 2021 Jul 23. doi:10.15585/mmwr.rr7004a1
Summarized by Kirsten Hughes, MS4 | Edited by John Spartz, MD, & Erik Verzemnieks, MD
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