These are the most frequent sexually transmitted infections in Spain in 2022

Over the course of 2022, Spain experienced a significant increase in cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as revealed by the ''2022 Sexually Transmitted Infections Epidemiological Surveillance Report'prepared by the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE) and published by the Ministry of Health.

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Gonorrhea, or gonococcal infection, registered an alarming increase, reaching 23,333 reported cases, doubling the previous year's figure of 14,862 cases. Likewise, chlamydia also showed an increase, with 26,518 cases in 2022 compared to 20,638 in 2021.

One of the most notable data is the highest rate of syphilis since 1995, with 8,141 cases reported in 2022. This pronounced increase in STIs shows an upward trend in the last twenty years. In 1995, cases of gonorrhea and syphilis were 4,599 and 1,010, respectively, compared to 23,333 and 8,141 in 2022.

The analysis by autonomous community reveals significant disparities, with Catalonia leading the gonorrhea rates (121.88), followed by the Basque Country (63.82), Madrid (58.89) and the Balearic Islands (48.61). At the opposite extreme are Melilla (4.83), Extremadura (6.94), Castilla La Mancha (10.30) and Asturias (10.54). Ceuta did not report any cases in 2022.

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Regarding age distribution, the groups most affected by gonorrhea are young people between 20 and 24 years old (198.23) and between 25 and 34 years old (167.60). In all groups, the incidence in men exceeds that of womens, with 81.31 cases per 100,000 inhabitants compared to 19.59 cases.

In relation to transmission, 46.3% of the cases had information available, with 21.6% being homosexual men, 5.5% heterosexual men, 18.1% heterosexual women, 51.6 % of men with unspecified sexual transmission and 3.1% of women with unspecified sexual transmission.

In the area of ​​HIV, 3.4% of cases were positive, 10.4% negative, 31.6% had not been performed the test and in 54.9% no information was available.

In the case of chlamydia, rates have increased throughout the period 2016-2022 in all autonomous communities. Catalonia (162.92), Navarra (111.34), the Basque Country (101.00) and Madrid (61.13) lead the highest rates, while Aragón (1.29), Extremadura (4.94) and Castilla La Mancha (7.12) have the lowest rates. Melilla did not report any cases.

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The analysis of chlamydia shows that 48.2% of cases correspond to women, with a median age at diagnosis of 27 years. The highest rates are found in the 25-34 year old (36.4%) and 20-24 year old (26.4%) groups.

In the case of syphilis, Spain experienced the highest rate since 1995, with 33.47 cases in the Canary Islands, followed by Madrid (25.93), Catalonia (24.75) and the Balearic Islands (24.67). In contrast, Aragón (2.58), La Rioja (3.16) and Castilla La Mancha (4.57) recorded the lowest rates. Melilla did not report cases.

As in gonorrhea, syphilis rates were higher in men (31.32) than in women (3.73)highlighting the group between 25 and 34 years old with a rate of 48.68 per 100,000 inhabitants.

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Finally, the report addresses cases of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), with a significant increase from 654 cases in 2021 to 912 cases in 2022. 98.5% of reported LGV cases were in men, with a median age at diagnosis of 36 years.

These figures reveal the importance of reinforcing prevention and awareness campaigns about sexually transmitted infections, as well as the need to encourage periodic testing to ensure early detection and timely treatment.

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*This content was made with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from Europa Press, and was reviewed by the journalist and an editor.