Linda Stocum

Sexually transmitted diseases and infections (STDs/STIs) are common health issues in the United States, according to Kenneth J. Tomecki, MD, staff physician in the department of dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic, and past president of the American Academy of Dermatology.1 He cited 2018 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that revealed 1 in 5 people in the United States had an STI. In that year alone, there were 26 million newly acquired STIs, nearly 50% of which were acquired by people aged 15 to 24 years. Nearly $16 billion was spent on direct medial costs.2

In light of these statistics, it is important that physicians expand their knowledge about different STDs and how to treat them, Tomecki said.

Tomecki ended his presentation with key facts about the STDs/STIs in 2022:3

There are 1 million STIs acquired every day worldwide, with most patients being asymptomatic,

Each year there are an estimated 374 million new infections, with one fourth of STIs being chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis,

More than 500 million people 15 to 50 years old are estimated to have genital HSV infection and up to 1 million pregnant women had syphilis as of 2018,

There are as many as 350,00 adverse outcomes

The drug resistance of these diseases is increasing, notably in gonorrhea

Tomecki reported no relevant disclosures.

Tomecki, K.STDs: the dirty half dozen. Presented at: 2022 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference for PAs & NPs; June 3-5, 2022 Scottsdale, AZ and virtual.

CDC newsroom. CDC. Published January 25, 2021. Accessed June 3, 2022. 

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0125-sexualy-transmitted-infection.html

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Accessed June 3, 2022. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sexually-transmitted-infections-(stis)

This article originally appeared on Dermatology Times®.

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Kenneth J. Tomecki, MD, discussed the clinical relevance of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to dermatology and outlined what to look for and how to treat various conditions at the 2022 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference for PAs & NPs.

STDs and dermatologic symptoms

, investigated whether differences existed in how pediatricians and dermatologists prescribed acne treatments to patients.

The study was a population-based, cross-sectional analysis using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2002 to 2016 for pediatric patients ages 18 or younger.

There were 45.8 million outpatient acne visits for pediatric patients. With the data broken down, 54% of visits were conducted by dermatologists, 28% by pediatricians, and 18% by other providers. Compared to pediatricians, dermatologists treated older patients with a mean of 15.4 years versus 13.1 years old.

Dermatologists also saw a higher proportion of White patients (92.8% vs 79.7%), non-Hispanic patients (86.8% vs 76.9%), and patients with private insurance (83.1% vs 69.5%) compared to pediatricians.

The most frequently prescribed medication classes by both dermatologist and pediatricians included topical retinoids at 41% and topical combination therapies at 20.1%.

Compared to patients seen by dermatologists, patients seen by pediatricians were 71% less likely to receive topical retinoids, 48% less likely to receive topical antibiotics, and 53% less likely to receive oral antibiotics.

Pediatricians prescribed topical retinoids, topical antibiotics, and oral antibiotics less frequently compared to dermatologists. According to the authors of the study, it is important to understand these differences in prescribing patterns for acne care and to identify potential educational gaps.

1. Jones M, Pourali S, Kohn AH, et al. 240 Differences in Acne Therapy Prescribing Patterns Between Pediatricians and Dermatologists. Accessed: May 10, 2021. J Invest Dermatol. 2021;141(5):S43. doi:10.1016/j.jid.2021.02.262

This article was originally published on Dermatology Times®

A study examined the difference in prescribing patterns between pediatricians and dermatologists when it came to acne treatments.

Linda Stocum

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STDs and dermatologic symptoms

Acne treatments differ between dermatologists and pediatricians, study shows