Preliminary study of some factors that adversely affect attendance of patients at the central STD clinic General Hospital Colombo

Abstract

The fact that a significant proportion of patients who seek treatment at the Clinic for sexually transmitted Diseases (STD) tend to present relatively late, has been an observed clinical impression for a considerable length of time. A relatively long period of time between the onset of symptoms and the time of presentation could not only lead to further complications from the disease itself. but also to further spread of the disease through sexual practices during this time. This project was initiated to investigate the reasons, (f any, for delay in the presentation of patients al the Central Clinic for STDs of General Hospital Colombo. There were no statistically significant differences in sex, race, religion and ethnicity, heru1een the late and early attendee groups. unmarried females presented late in significant numbers hut otherwise, the marital status seemed to have little influence in the time of presentation, especially in males. Significant numbers of females from Gampaha presented early and those from Puttalam presented late. Assessment of the educational level showed very clearly that those with lower levels of education, among both males and females, presented late.