engleski

HPV and other STDs in Croatia

Syphilis and gonorrhoea have been clearly decreasing since mid-80s, according to the Register of Croatian National Institute of Public Health. HIV infection shows a relatively favourable trend with 8-16 AIDS patient annually in the last 12 years. Thus, AIDS in Croatia did not follow Western European models, as there have not been any explosive growth. Hepatitis B has shown for decades in Croatia a practically stationary low endemic trend with an average of 200-250 people infected per year. Chlamydial infections have shown also a stationary trend ranges between 200 and 300 cases per year that represent 10% and 29% infected women and adolescents, respectively. Cervical cancer in Croatia is in the third place following breast and stomach cancer. Thus, from 1990 HPV DNA was continuously analysed by hybridization methods and from 1994 by PCR. Genital samples collected from 1990 to 1993 showed the increase from 5% to 37% of HPV infections both in men and women (1). Through years, there was an increased interest for HPV diagnosis, justified by the increase of HPV infection ranging from 40% to 80% from 1995 to 1998, respectively (2, 3). From 1999 to 2001 a stationary state is observed, HPV DNA was found in 60, 71 and 63% women, respectively. Approximately half HPVs were typed as being HPV 6/11, 16, 18, 31 and/or 33, while the others remained untyped. Multiple HPV infections are not uncommon, as they were found in approximately 5-10% of HPV-positive samples. The most frequently observed HPV type was HPV 16 and it is mostly associated with high-grade cervical epithelial lesions independently of patient's age. So, HPV 16 can be considered as the major risk factor for cervical cancerogenesis. However, infection with other risk types and unknown HPV types should not be underestimated. High prevalence rate of HPV infections found among Croatian women, especially HPV 16 represents a significant health concern. Moreover, young women (15-24 years) exhibited the highest rate of HPV infection and they are therefore, exposed to cervical cancerogenesis very early in life and their reproductive possibilities are endangered as well as it is by other STDs, i.e. chlamydia. (1) Grce M et al. Anticancer Res 1996 ; 16:1039 (2) Grce M et al. Eur J of Epidemiol 1997 ; 13:645 (3) Grce M et al. Anticancer Res, 2001 ; 21:579

Papillomavirus; sexually transmitted diseases

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