1. Quarterly screening optimizes detection of sexually transmitted infections when prescribing HIV preexposure prophylaxis.
- Author
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Tang EC, Vittinghoff E, Philip SS, Doblecki-Lewis S, Bacon O, Chege W, Coleman ME, Elion R, Buchbinder S, Kolber MA, Liu AY, and Cohen SE
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Chlamydia Infections diagnosis, Chlamydia Infections epidemiology, Chlamydia Infections prevention & control, Cohort Studies, Female, Gonorrhea diagnosis, Gonorrhea epidemiology, Gonorrhea prevention & control, HIV Infections diagnosis, HIV Infections epidemiology, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, San Francisco epidemiology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases epidemiology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases prevention & control, Young Adult, Delivery of Health Care, Integrated organization & administration, HIV Infections prevention & control, Homosexuality, Male, Mass Screening statistics & numerical data, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases diagnosis, Transgender Persons
- Abstract
Objective: The optimal screening frequency of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for MSM and transgender women (TGW) on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is unclear, with present guidelines recommending screening every 3-6 months. We aimed to determine the number of STIs for which treatment would have been delayed without quarterly screening., Design: The US PrEP Demonstration Project was a prospective, open-label cohort study that evaluated PrEP delivery in STI clinics in San Francisco and Miami, and a community health center in Washington, DC. In all, 557 HIV-uninfected MSM and TGW were offered up to 48 weeks of PrEP and screened quarterly for STIs., Methods: The proportion of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis infections for which treatment would have been delayed had screening been conducted every 6 versus every 3 months was determined by taking the number of asymptomatic STIs at weeks 12 and 36 divided by the total number of infections during the study follow-up period for each STI., Results: Among the participants, 50.9% had an STI during follow-up. If screening had been conducted only semiannually or based on symptoms, identification of 34.3% of gonorrhea, 40.0% of chlamydia, and 20.4% of syphilis infections would have been delayed by up to 3 months. The vast majority of participants (89.2%) with asymptomatic STIs reported condomless anal sex and had a mean of 8.1 partners between quarterly visits., Conclusions: Quarterly STI screening among MSM on PrEP could prevent a substantial number of partners from being exposed to asymptomatic STIs, and decrease transmission.
- Published
- 2020
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