Abstract:
Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection in Hunan province from 2014 to 2023 and provide theoretical support for the effective prevention and control of genital C. trachomatis infection.
Methods The incidence data ofgenital C. trachomatis infection and local population data in Hunan from 2014 to 2023 were obtained from China's Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) were used to evaluate the changes of reported incidence rates, and pairwise comparison was used to test the parallelism between groups. Software R 4.3.3 and Joinpoint 4.9.1.0 were used for data processing, model construction, and calculation of APC and AAPC.
Results The reported incidence rates of genital C. trachomatis infection in Hunan increased from 2.70/100 000 to 6.54/100 000 (AAPC=9.16%, P=0.025). In terms of age group perspective, the AAPCs of reported incidence rates in the age groups <20 years, 20−29 years, 30−39 years, 40−49 years, and ≥50 years were 18.78%, 11.87%, 10.33%, 15.57%, and 19.18%, respectively, the differences were significant. The increase was more obvious in age group <20 years than in age groups 20−29 years and 30−39 years (AAPCdifference=6.91%, 8.45%, P<0.05), and the increase was more obvious in age group >50 years than in age groups 20−29 years and 30−39 years (AAPCdifference=7.31%, 8.85%, P<0.05). In terms of gender group, the reported incidence rates showed upward trends in both men and women (AAPC=6.84%, 9.40%, P<0.05), the difference was not significant (AAPCdifference=2.57%, P=0.506). In terms of geographic distribution, the reported incidence rates of genital C. trachomatis infection in northern, southern, western and central Hunan all showed upward trends (AAPC=14.04%, 6.36%, 14.72%, 6.24%, P<0.05), and the increases were more obvious in western and northern Hunan than in southern Hunan (AAPCdifference=8.36%, 7.68%, P<0.05).
Conclusion From 2014 to 2023, the reported incidence rates of genital C. trachomatis infection showed an upward trend in Hunan. The reported incidence rate was higher in women and in central Hunan, while the increases of the incidence rate were more obvious in age groups <20 years and ≥50 years. It is necessary to strengthen the health education about C. trachomatis infection in key populations.