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European Journal of Public Health, Vol. 24, Supplement 2, 2014
3 Department of International Public Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway 4 Regional Sexually Transmitted Infection Clinic, Arkhangelsk, Russia Contact:
[email protected]
Background Genital HSV-2 infection is among the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Most of HSV-2 seropositive individuals shed it asymptomatically, but HSV-2 can cause genital ulcer disease and in case of primary infection in pregnancy lead to serious consequences for the foetus. Seroprevalence of HSV-2 varies between countries; however there is no data from Russia. The aim of the study was to assess the seroprevalence of HSV-2 and its correlates among young adults in an urban Russian setting. Methods A cross-sectional study. Blood samples and answers on a standardized self-administrated questionnaire were obtained from 1243 randomly selected adults aged 18-39 in a city of Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia. The prevalence is presented by age and gender with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Associations between HSV-2 seropositivity and socio-demographic characteristic were studies by multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results The overall prevalence among men was 12.2% (95%CI 9.715.2), among women 24.0% (95%CI 20.1-27.3). For men in age groups 18-24 years, 25-29 years, 30-34 years and 35-39 years HSV-2 seroprevalence was as follows: 3.4% (95%CI 1.76.9), 13.3% (95%CI 8.5-20.2), 19.8% (95%CI 13.9-27.5), 20.0% (95%CI 12.7-30.1). Corresponding numbers for women were 11.3% (95%CI 8.1-15.4), 27.4% (95%CI 21.2-34.6), 34.7% (95%CI 27.5-42.7) and 41.3% (95% CI 31.8-51.5%). In fully adjusted regression model for men HSV-2 was associated with increased age (18-24 years vs. 35-39 years, OR = 4.79, 95%CI 1.62-14.11), divorced vs. single (OR = 2.82, 95%CI 1.05-7.61) and younger age at sexual debut (OR = 0.83, 95%CI 0.71-0.97) among men. Among women, HSV-2 was associated with older age (18-24 years vs. 35-39 years, OR = 6.04, 95%CI 2.99-12.21), smoking (OR = 1.72 (95%CI 1.11-2.67), high vs. low self-reported income (OR = 3.04, 95%CI 1.43-6.49) and greater number of lifetime sexual partners (‘‘2-5’’ vs. ‘‘0-1’’ OR = 2.53, 95%CI 1.05-6.08). Conclusion The seroprevalence of HSV-2 in Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia is slightly higher than in most European countries. Generalization of the findings to other Russian settings should be done with caution. Factors associated with HSV-2 seropositivity differ between men and women requiring gender-specific preventive actions. Key messages The revealed seroprevalence of HSV-2 in Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia is higher than in most European countries. In the study from Northwest Russia several social factors are associated with HSV-2 seropositivity; those factors are different for men and women.
Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) seropositivity among young adults in Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia, 2010-2011 Tatiana Balaeva TV Balaeva1,2, AM Grjibovski1,2,3, O Sidorenkov1, OV Samodova2, NA Firsova4, AL Sannikov2, E Klouman1 1 Institute of Community Medicine, Arctic University of Norway, Tromso, Norway 2 Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, Russia
