PHARMACOTHERAPY OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES IN PATIENTS VISITING A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL – AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Introduction: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a broad modern category referring to a variety of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, which manifest themselves in an equally wide variety of clinical symptoms. More than one million STDs are acquired every day worldwide. Objective: To evaluate the drugs prescribed to patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted disease/s using the WHO prescribing indicators. Methodology: It was a prospective observational study, carried out in OPDs of hospitals attached to BMCRI, Bengaluru. The prescription pattern of 100 outpatients diagnosed with STDs was analysed from February 2021 to August 2022 and was evaluated using the WHO prescribing indicators. Results: Out of 100 prescriptions analysed, 73% were males and 27% were females. The most common age group was 25-30 years. Anogenital warts (19%) were the most common diagnosis, followed by syphilis (17%) and genital scabies (18%). Diagnosis was mostly clinical (54%). Tablet was the most common dosage form (41%). Podophyllotoxin resin (18%) was the most prescribed drug, followed by benzathine penicillin (17%). WHO prescribing indicators used for evaluating the drugs showed that the average number of drugs prescribed per encounter was 1.19, the percentage of drugs prescribed in generic name was 67.22%, the percentage of drugs prescribed from essential medicine list was 90.75%, the percentage of encounters with antibiotic prescribed was 50% and the percentage of injection prescribed 19%. Conclusion: In our study, anogenital warts and syphilis were the most common diseases to be diagnosed. Podophyllotoxin and benzathine penicillin were the most common drugs prescribed. Only one out of five parameters under the WHO prescribing indicators was within the recommended range.