Utility of syndromic approach in management of sexually transmitted infections: public health perspective

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections that are mainly transmitted from personto-person through sexual contact. Untreated or inadequately treated STIs can have significant impact on the maternal and newborn health. An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was made using library sources including PubMed, Medline and World Health Organization website for a period of one month. Relevant documents, technical publication series, systematic reviews, research articles focusing on the practice of syndromic management in treatment of STIs published in the period 1995-2013 were included in the review. The identified articles were then re-grouped into different sections for better understanding. Keywords used in the search include syndromic management, sexually transmitted infections, women, reproductive agegroup and pregnancy. There is an immense need for implementation of prevention and control of STIs because of the associated morbidity/mortality, association with HIV and adverse outcomes of pregnancy and burdening of the health system. Multiple socio-demographic determinants have been identified, which usually precipitates STIs. In addition, some of the barriers have been recognized which is hampering with the expected utilization of the health care services. To counter the high prevalence of reproductive tract infection/STI, especially in countries with limited resources, syndromic diagnostic approach has been adopted by countries for the standardized management of sexually transmitted disease cases. The aim of syndromic management is to identify a syndrome and treat it accordingly with combination therapy which will cover the main pathogens that cause it. Strategies have been suggested to overcome the limitations of the syndromic approach and bring the problem under control. To conclude, syndromic management is a rapid and cost-effective approach in reducing the transmission of STIs