Treatment and management of sexually transmitted diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are the most common group of identifiable infectious diseases in many countries. Adolescents and young adults (15-24 years old) comprise only 25% of the sexually active population but represent almost 50% of all newly acquired STDs. In a law for prevention of infectious diseases in Korea, STDs include syphilis, gonorrhea, chancroid, nongonococcal urethritis, clamydial infection, genital herpes, and genital wart. Bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, candidiasis, amebiasis, scabies, phthiriasis, granuloma inguinale, AIDS, and high risk human papilloma virus are also included in the STDs. Individuals infected with STDs are 5-10 times more likely than uninfected individuals to acquire or transmit HIV through sexual contacts. Their control is important considering the high incidences of acute infections, complications, and sequelae, their socioeconomic impact, and their role in increasing transmission of the HIV. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the treatment and management of STDs on the basis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention treatment guidelines for sexually transmitted diseases published in 2006.