Emergency Department Management of Sexually Transmitted Infections - 28/07/11

Doi : 10.1016/j.emc.2011.04.008

Joelle Borhart, MD ^a,^⁎ , Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD ^b
^a Department of Emergency Medicine, Georgetown University/Washington Hospital Center, 110 Irving Street NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA
^b Department of Emergency Medicine, Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 1000 West Carson Street, Building D9, Box 21, Torrance, CA 90509, USA

Corresponding author.

Résumé

Patients seeking treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) account for a large number of emergency department (ED) visits per year. Despite the large volume of patients, STIs are often missed or treated inappropriately. Due to the high prevalence and incidence of STIs in the United States, it is important that emergency practitioners recognize symptoms consistent with STIs, and treat presumptively. This practice leads to overtreatment of STIs; however, when weighed against the public health risk and complications of untreated disease, empiric treatment is recommended. This article provides an overview of STIs encountered in the ED and recommendations for their treatment.

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Keywords : Emergency department, Sexually transmitted infections, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Urethritis, Cervicitis, Genital ulcers