A study has found that women along the U.S.-Mexican border are at higher risk for chlamydial infection than women in other regions. S.B. Baldwin and colleagues at the Veterans Health Administration of Greater Los Angeles, Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center, conducted "a binational project [to investigate] the prevalence of, and risk factors for, C. trachomatis among women along the Arizona, U.S.-Sonora, Mexico border."

"Women who self-referred for routine gynecological care were invited to complete an interviewer-administered questionnaire and to undergo a Pap smear, C. trachomatis test, and human papillomavirus (HPV) test," the authors wrote.

Results revealed that "in 2,270 women, C. trachomatis prevalence overall was 8.2% as measured by hybrid capture and 2.6% by enzyme immunoassay."

The researchers determined that "infection was associated with young age, a history of new sexual partner(s) in the previous 3 months, HPV infection and proximity of clinic to the international border."

"Antibiotic use in the previous 30 days was associated with decreased odds of infection," the investigators found.

"Women in Arizona-Sonora border communities are at increased risk for C. trachomatis infection compared to women attending clinics in non-border locations," the authors concluded.

The study, "Chlamydial Infection in Women Along the U.S.-Mexico Border," was published in the International Journal of STD & AIDS (2004;15(12):815-821).

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