ARTICLE INTRODUCTIONThe WHO estimates that there are 105.7 million new cases of Chlamydia worldwide, with 3 to 4 million of these only in the United States of America (USA), with over 1.4 million cases reported in 2011 (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) , 5 million in Eastern Europe, and 34 million in subSaharan Africa and southeast Asia (5)(6)(7)(8)(9) . Worldwide, it occurs more frequently in sexually active young adults, generally aged younger than 20 years, and it is nearly three times higher in the 14-24 years age group (5,7,9,10) . It currently represents the leading cause of female infertility, but the most common infections are urethritis and cervicitis, which, if untreated, can lead to serious consequences in the reproductive tract such as ectopic pregnancy and infertility (6,(8)(9)(10) . About 50% of infected men and 70 to 75% of infected women are asymptomatic. The infection is transmitted during sexual contact and to the newborn at birth and may cause neonatal conjunctivitis or pneumonia (5,6,(8)(9)(10) . Over 100 million individuals of both sexes worldwide are infected with Chlamydia at some point in their lives (6,9,10) . Among male subjects, the prevalence is comparable with that of risk populations, ranging from 15 to 20%, while in the asymptomatic population, it is between 3 and 7%. In female subjects, the infection rates of asymptomatic populations are between 3 and 10%, while in high-risk populations they are above 20% (1)
da LILACS e 68 da SciELO. Destes, 50 relataram a prevalência, sendo a menor 0,84% e a maior 45,2%. Entre os 15 artigos brasileiros, a maior prevalência reportada foi de 33,3% e a menor 5%. Os fatores de risco/predisponentes de risco à infecção por CT mais frequentes foram a idade entre 20-25 anos, precocidade do início das relações sexuais, história de parceiros com DST, história de múltiplos parceiros sexuais, falta de adesão a métodos de proteção sexual (camisinha), nuliparidade e aspectos clínicos que não são observados pelos profissionais da saúde durante os exames de rotina. Conclusão: Prevalências entre 4 a 20% foram verificadas na maior parte dos artigos analisados e nas regiões brasileiras os índices geralmente foram superiores a 5%. Múltiplas condições podem estar envolvidas na infecção por CT, sendo necessária a realização de mais estudos em grupos populacionais diversificados para melhor caracterização dos fatores de risco. DESCRITORESChlamydia Trachomatis. Fatores de Risco. Prevalência. ABSTRACT Objective:To verify the risk factors related to the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) in sexually active women. Material and Methods: A systematic review through electronic searches was performed in the databases: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, LILACS, PUBMED, and SciELO. Controlled and uncontrolled descriptors were used, such as Chlamydia trachomatis, prevalence, risk factors, according to the PICO and COCHRANE strategies. Results: We selected descriptive articles on risk behaviors among adolescents and young people, in Portuguese, English and Spanish from PUBMED (n=220), MEDLINE (n=109), LILACS (n=138) and SciELO (n=68). Of these, 50 articles reported prevalence data ranging from 0.84% to 45.2%. Among the 15 Brazilian articles, the prevalence ranged from 5% to 33.3%. The most frequent risk factors/ predisposing risk factors to infection by CT were: aged 20-25 years, beginning of sexual intercourse, partner with STD history, history of multiple sexual partners, lack of adherence to sexual protection methods (condom), nulliparity and clinical aspects that are not observed by health professionals during routine examinations. Conclusion: Prevalence ranging between 4% and 20% was observed in most of the analyzed articles, and in Brazilian regions it was generally higher than 5%. Multiple conditions can be involved in the CT infection, requiring further studies in different populations to better characterize the risk factors. DESCRIPTORS
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