The prevalence of chlamydial infection in Estonia: a population-based survey

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection among Estonian men and women by a cross-sectional study based on the screening of a probability sample of the residents of Tartu using participant-collected, mail-delivered testing for C. trachomatis complemented with the self-administered questionnaire. Full participation as defined by returning both the questionnaire and specimen was 34% (n = 479; 95% confidence interval CI] 32-37%). Study participation was 40% (n = 560; 95% CI 37-43%) for subjects returning either or both the study questionnaire and specimen. After weighing the population distribution, the prevalence estimate for the age group of 18-35 years was 5.4% (95% CI 3.0-7.5%), 6.9% (95% CI 3.6-10.3%) among women and 2.7% (95% CI 0.3-5.0%) among men. The number of sexual partners in the past 12 months was the strongest predictor of infection.