Sexually transmitted diseases in victims of rape
Article Abstract:
The frequency with which women acquire a sexually transmitted disease (STD) as a consequence of rape is not known. Studies on this subject have examined women at many different intervals after the assault and it has been impossible to determine whether an infection began when the rape occurred. To better address this issue, 204 girls and women underwent gynecological examinations 72 hours or less after being raped, and 109 of them returned two weeks later for a follow-up examination. The assumption was made that an STD present on follow-up that had not been diagnosed previously was a consequence of the assault. Tests were performed to detect gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, herpes simplex virus, treponema pallidum, bacterial vaginosis, and human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Results showed that 28 percent of the patients had one STD at the initial examination, nine percent had two, and six percent had three or more. In all, 56 percent had at least one sexually transmitted disease at one of the exams. The frequency of new infections present at follow-up were: gonorrhea, four percent; chlamydia, two percent; trichomoniasis, 12 percent; and bacterial vaginosis, 19 percent. The risk of acquiring a vaginal infection was greater than the risk of acquiring a cervical infection. These results may not be representative of all rape victims initially examined, since only 109/204 returned for follow-up. It appears that rape victims have a high rate of STD before the rape and that they have a substantial risk of acquiring such diseases as a consequence of the assault. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1990
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Underdiagnosis of genital herpes by current clinical and viral-isolation procedures
Article Abstract:
A blood test to detect antibodies against herpes simplex virus (HSV) may increase the number of women diagnosed with genital or anal herpes. Many women infected with HSV, a virus that is sexually transmitted, are not diagnosed by a physical examination or attempts to grow the virus from samples taken from the genitals. Of 779 women who had a physical examination, a Pap smear and a blood test for antibodies against HSV, 363 (47%) were diagnosed with HSV type 2, and 9 (one percent) with HSV type 1. Eighty-two women (22%) who were diagnosed with HSV infection had symptoms, and 14 women (four percent) had viral shedding without symptoms. Sixty women had symptoms in the past, and 216 had antibodies against HSV-2 without viral shedding or symptoms. The most sensitive method for diagnosis of a first episode of HSV infection was growth of the virus from a sample taken from the genitals. But the most sensitive method for diagnosis of a recurrent episode of HSV-2 infection was a blood test for antibodies against the virus.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1992
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Therapy for human immunodeficiency virus infection - what have we learned?
Article Abstract:
Recent studies show that combination drug therapy may prolong the lives of AIDS patients but many will not be able to afford the treatment. Three 1996 studies evaluated zidovudine in combination with two other nucleoside inhibitors, didanosine and zalcitabine. In two studies, combination therapy prolonged survival when compared to zidovudine alone. However, the remaining study showed no difference in survival. It is possible that the groups of patients studied differed in the severity of disease. Nevertheless, there are now 7 reverse transcriptase inhibitors and 3 protease inhibitors to treat HIV infection.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1996
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