No more forgotten infections: chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, warts, genital herpes, as well as HIV and papillomavirus, are returning to the fore in Italy, where every year there are about 4 thousand new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) according to data from the surveillance system of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. But while the number remained stable until 2004, since 2005 the reports have increased by 41.8% compared to the period 1991-2004. Diseases whose incidence continues to grow particularly affecting the very young between the ages of 15 and 24 and women. This is what emerged from the congress “The new face of dermatology 4.0”, promoted by the University of Naples Federico II, which was attended by dermatology experts from all over Italy discussing the main issues related to dermatological diseases, including cutaneous mycoses and infections sexually transmitted.
“The reasons for the higher incidence of sexually transmitted infections are multiple and complex – explains Gabriella Fabbrocini, director of the UOC of Clinical Dermatology at the Federico II University – not least the greater mobility of populations, which contributes to a more rapid worldwide spread of agents infectious. Prevention is essential, especially in adolescence, to reduce the risk of contracting diseases such as syphilis, HIV infection and condylomatosis. It is necessary to promote prevention in schools, making young people aware of correct lifestyles and correct behavioral and relational habits, improving the level of knowledge of sexually transmitted infections “.
Some sexually transmitted diseases – remember a note – take a long time to appear after contagion, such as papillomavirus (Hpv) or HIV infection. Others, on the other hand, have short incubation times, such as gonorrhea or syphilis and it is easy, if recognized, to cure them promptly. Prompt treatment is very important, because it reduces the patient’s infectivity and limits infections. Unfortunately, many of these infections tend to reappear in the same person (relapses) or, especially those that are asymptomatic or that manifest with symptoms that are not well defined, frequently tend to go undiagnosed or to be mistaken for other diseases.