Prevalence and Correlates of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Transgender People: An Italian Multicentric Cross-Sectional Study
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Authors
Cocchetti, Carlotta
Romani, Alessia
Mazzoli, Francesca
Ristori, Jiska
Lagi, Filippo
Meriggiola, Maria Cristina
Motta, Giovanna
Pierdominici, Marina
Bartoloni, Alessandro
Vignozzi, Linda
Issue Date
2022-05-14
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Transgender , Sexuality , Sexually Transmitted Infections , HIV , Stigma , Epidemiology
Alternative Title
Abstract
The burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the transgender population remains an underestimated issue. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the prevalence of either self-reported and serological STIs and to describe socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of transgender individuals with STIs. A consecutive series of 705 transgender individuals (assigned-male at birth, AMAB n = 377; assigned-female at birth, AFAB n = 328) referring to six Italian gender clinics were included. Sociodemographic and clinical information was collected during the first visit. In a subsample of 126 individuals prevalence of STIs (human immunodeficiency virus, HIV; hepatitis C, HCV; hepatitis B, HBV; syphilis) were evaluated through serology tests. The self-reported prevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infection in the total sample were 3.4%, 1.6%, 2.6% and 2.0%, respectively. In the subsample who underwent serological tests, higher rates of serological prevalence were found (9.5%, 4.0%, 5.6% and 7.9% for HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis, respectively). When comparing transgender people with or without self-reported STIs, unemployment, previous incarceration, justice problems and sex work resulted more frequent in the first group (p< 0.03 for all). Regarding health status, we observed higher rates of lifetime substance abuse and psychiatric morbidities in trans people with at least one reported STI (p < 0.05). The prevalence of STIs exceeded that reported in general population and STIs correlates underline the importance of stigma and discrimination as determinants of transgender health.
Description
Citation
Cocchetti, C., Romani, A., Mazzoli, F., Ristori, J., Lagi, F., Meriggiola, M. C., Motta, G., Pierdominici, M., Bartoloni, A., Vignozzi, L., Maggi, M., & Fisher, A. D. (2022). Prevalence and Correlates of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Transgender People: An Italian Multicentric Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of clinical medicine, 11(10), 2774. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11102774
Publisher
Journal of Clinical Medicine