CLINICAL PROFILE AND SEXUAL BEHAVIORS IN PATIENTS OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL OF EASTERN NEPAL

Abstract

A hospital based prospective cross sectional study was under taken over one-year
period from April 1998 to March 1999 to study the clinical profile and sexual behavior
in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) patients at Dermatology and Venereology OPD
at BPKIHS, Dharan, Nepal. A total of 105 patients giving history suggestive of STDs
were studied. These patients were also enquired for their sexual behaviors. There
were 85 males and 20 females; and the majority (55.2%) was in the age group of 21-30 years. Most of the patients (25.7%) were students followed by housewives (17.2%).
service holders (13.3%), businessmen (13.3%), unemployed (9.5%) and fanners
(8.5%).. Literates were 80%. Sixty-eight percent males and 90% females were married.
Majority of the males contracted infection from CSW (58.8%). Females got the
infection from husbands and friends. More than 50% of male had multiple partners
whereas in case of females it was only 5%. Homosexual and bisexual were 3.5% and
4.7% respectively in males. Unprotected sexual contact was found in 94.1% of males
and 100% of females. Syphilis (30.5%) was the commonest type of STD followed by
gonorrhea (14.3%), genital warts (14.3%), chancroid (6.7%), candidiasis (6.7%),
herpes genitalis (5.7%), mixed infection (4.7%), donovanosis (2.8%), and
Lymphogranuloma venereum (0.9%). In homosexual and bisexual, only NGU and
syphilis were seen. STDs constituted 0.97% of all new dermatology patients. In spite
of high proportion of promiscuous sexual behavior, there was only one HIV positive
patient.
Key Words: Clinical profile, Sexual behavior, STD patients, Nepal.