Criteria for Selective Screening for Chlamydia trachomatis

In Brief Background On the basis of studies in ethnically diverse populations, it appears that the best strategy for prevention of Chlamydia trachomatis infections is screening of all women aged 25 years or younger. Goal The goal was to determine screening criteria in an ethnically and socioeconomically homogenous population with low prevalence of genital chlamydia infection. Study Design Women (N = 1198) attending two family planning clinics were screened for C trachomatis and surveyed for risk factors. Data were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression. Results The overall prevalence of C trachomatis infection was 3.5%. Risk markers for the infection included marital status, number of sex partners, and age. Screening women aged 25 years or younger would have identified 28% of all chlamydial infections, while screening all women aged 30 years or younger would have identified 83% of infections. Conclusion Because of its feasibility, age appears to still be the best screening criterion. However, extension of the screening to include women up to 30 years of age should be considered. A study in low-prevalence Finnish populations showed that women between 25 and 30 years of age, in addition to younger women, can benefit from screening for C trachomatis.