By Joe Gorelick, MSN, FNP-C
STDs, including HPV, are common presentations in the dermatology clinic. And the US is in the midst of an epidemic of STDs, noted dermatologist Ted Rosen, MD, at the DEF Essential Resource Meeting 2023 (DERM2023) NP and PA CME conference in Las Vegas last summer.
“Our current annual American burden of STDs is two and a half million cases,” Dr. Rosen said. “This is twice as many new cases of STD as there are new cases of type 2 diabetes diagnosed in the United States every day.”
Dermatologists and dermatology NPs and PAs are not generally involved in the diagnosis and management of HPV-associated cancers and are not a primary source of HPV vaccination. However, they can and should be a resource for information about long-term risks of HPV infection and prevention strategies.
During HPV Awareness Week, an initiative entitled “Us vs. HPV” is focused on educating medical professionals and the public on HPV prevention and treatment. The program is organized by the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC), with support from numerous medical associations and institutions nationally and internationally.
According to the CDC, 36,500 people in the US are estimated to be diagnosed with a cancer caused by HPV infection. Cervical cancer is the most widely-recognized cancer caused by HPV. Other cancers caused by HPV include oropharyngeal, anal, vulvar and vaginal, and penile cancers.
HPV vaccination could prevent more than 90% of cancers caused by HPV, CDC says.
Speaking broadly about all types of STDs at DERM2023, Dr. Rosen said that 53% of all new STD infections occur in individuals ages 15 to 24. “You interact with those people a lot. You treat acne. You treat Verruca vulgaris. Be a resource for them,” he said.
Dr. Rosen also provided a caution: “If you see STDs in 15- to 24-year-olds, then we need to do a better job educating the adolescents. We need to make accurate sex and STD instruction a priority.”
