Socio-demographic, Clinical and Microbiological Study of Sexually Transmitted Infections in a Tertiary Care Hospital of South India

STIs are major global and national health priorities. They have devastating impact on the health of women and infants. Unnoticed and untreated STIs can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) in women, infertility in both sexes, ectopic pregnancy, problems during pregnancy such as abortions, fetal deaths, low birth weight babies and health problems for the unborn baby. Infection with high-risk HPV if undetected and untreated can cause cervical cancer (STDs and Pregnancy, 2008; Aral et al., 2006). STIs also increase the risk for transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Cohen, 2012; Lewis, 2012).