The prevalence of chlamydial infection in Estonia: a population-based survey

Abstract

Summary The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection among Estonian men and women by a cross-sectional study based on the screening of a probability sample of the residents of Tartu using participant-collected, mail-delivered testing for C. trachomatis complemented with the self-administered questionnaire. Full participation as defined by returning both the questionnaire and specimen was 34% ( n = 479; 95% confidence interval [CI] 32–37%). Study participation was 40% ( n = 560; 95% CI 37–43%) for subjects returning either or both the study questionnaire and specimen. After weighing the population distribution, the prevalence estimate for the age group of 18–35 years was 5.4% (95% CI 3.0–7.5%), 6.9% (95% CI 3.6–10.3%) among women and 2.7% (95% CI 0.3–5.0%) among men. The number of sexual partners in the past 12 months was the strongest predictor of infection.