Home Test Kits for STDs Being Studied

The first government-sponsored study to measure the effectiveness of a web- and community-based home test kit for common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as Chlamydia and gonorrhea, has been launched by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD, USA).

The goal is to duplicate the successful introduction of widely used home pregnancy tests in order to lower the high rates of sexually transmitted disease among young women, who are at most risk of contracting an STD and least likely to undergo regular check-ups. The study, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA), will measure how many women use the kit, determine disease prevalence among respondents, record how effectively test results can be returned, and assess how well respondents who test positive follow through with therapy.

The test kits will be available at participating pharmacies and some recreation centers. Results will be available within two weeks via a secured telephone-answering service that uses kit numbers and passwords. For women who test positive for Chlamydia or gonorrhea, a referral will be provided to a local community health clinic for treatment, as part of the telephone confirmation message. An advertising campaign in community newspapers will promote the website. Research shows that self-collected vaginal swabs are as effective as a doctor's cervical exams for diagnosing STDs.

"Chlamydia is 80-90% without any symptoms of infection, and it can take two to three years before infected women develop signs of pelvic inflammatory disease, a condition that can leave a woman infertile from resulting scar tissue,” said lead investigator Charlotte Gaydos, M.S., Dr.P.H., associate professor of medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.




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