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The prevalence of sexually transmitted infections among migrant female patients in Italy
Author(s) -
Laganà Antonio S.,
Gavagni Valeria,
Musubao Justine V.,
Pizzo Alfonsa
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2014.08.013
Subject(s) - medicine , syphilis , outpatient clinic , obstetrics , hepatitis c , hepatitis b virus , hepatitis b , gynecology , condom , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , pediatrics , immunology , virus
Objective To evaluate the prevalence of several sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among migrant women incoming to Italy. Methods A single‐center, prospective, observational study was conducted of migrant women who had attended an outpatient clinic in Messina, Italy, between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2013. Participants underwent a gynecologic examination and a cervical smear test. Patients who showed cytologic alterations underwent human papillomavirus (HPV) typing by PCR and allele‐specific hybridization. Routine tests for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), HIV, and syphilis were done for pregnant participants. Results Overall, 724 women were enrolled, of whom 320 (44.2%) were pregnant. The mean ± SD age was 33.1 ± 9.8 years. Cytologic abnormalities were recorded for 76 (10.5%) participants. Among 46 who attended a follow‐up clinic, 32 (69.6%) tested positive for HPV serotypes. Among the pregnant women, 9 (2.8%) had HBV infection, 3 (0.9%) had HCV infection, and 1 (0.3%) had HIV infection. No cases of syphilis were recorded. Conclusion The prevalence of STIs among migrant women in Messina is similar to that among nonmigrants.