CLINICAL PROFILE AND SEXUAL BEHAVIORS IN PATIENTS OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL OF EASTERN NEPAL
A hospital based prospective cross sectional study was under taken over one-yearperiod from April 1998 to March 1999 to study the clinical profile and sexual behaviorin sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) patients at Dermatology and Venereology OPDat BPKIHS, Dharan, Nepal. A total of 105 patients giving history suggestive of STDswere studied. These patients were also enquired for their sexual behaviors. Therewere 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 theinfection from husbands and friends. More than 50% of male had multiple partnerswhereas in case of females it was only 5%. Homosexual and bisexual were 3.5% and4.7% respectively in males. Unprotected sexual contact was found in 94.1% of malesand 100% of females. Syphilis (30.5%) was the commonest type of STD followed bygonorrhea (14.3%), genital warts (14.3%), chancroid (6.7%), candidiasis (6.7%),herpes genitalis (5.7%), mixed infection (4.7%), donovanosis (2.8%), andLymphogranuloma venereum (0.9%). In homosexual and bisexual, only NGU andsyphilis were seen. STDs constituted 0.97% of all new dermatology patients. In spiteof high proportion of promiscuous sexual behavior, there was only one HIV positivepatient.Key Words: Clinical profile, Sexual behavior, STD patients, Nepal.