Underlying reasons for primary care visits where chlamydia testing was performed in the United States, 2019-2022

Background: In the United States, most chlamydia cases are reported from non–sexually transmitted disease clinics, and there is limited information focusing on the reasons for chlamydia testing in private settings. These analyses describe clinical visits to primary care providers where chlamydia testing was performed to help discern between screening and diagnostic testing for chlamydia. Methods: Using the largest primary care clinical registry in the United States, the PRIME registry, chlamydia tests were identified using Current Procedural Terminology procedure codes and categorized as diagnostic testing for sexually transmitted infection (STI)–related symptoms, screening for chlamydia, or “other,” based on Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision Evaluation and Management codes selected for visits. Results: Of 120,013 clinical visits with chlamydia testing between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2022, 70.4% were women; 20.6% were with STI-related symptoms, 59.9% were for screening, and 19.5% for “other” reasons. Of those 120,013 clinical visits with chlamydia testing, the logit model showed that patients were significantly more likely to have STI-related symptoms if they were female than male, non-Hispanic Black than non-Hispanic White, aged 15 to 24 years than aged ≥45 years, and resided in the South than in the Northeast. Conclusion: It is important to know what proportion of chlamydial infections is identified through screening programs and to have this information stratified by demographics. The inclusion of laboratory results could further facilitate a better understanding of the impact of chlamydia screening programs on the identification and treatment of chlamydia in private office settings in the United States.

Read More