The Influence of Screening, Misclassification, and Reporting Biases on Reported Chlamydia Case Rates Among Young Women in the United States, 2000 Through 2017

Conclusions Reported chlamydia case rates may be substantially lower than true chlamydia case rates because of incomplete reporting, imperfect diagnostic tests, and partial screening coverage. Because the magnitude of these biases has declined over time, the differences between reported and adjusted case rates have narrowed, revealing a sharp decline in adjusted case rates even as reported case rates have risen. The decline in adjusted case rates suggests that the rise in reported case rates should not be interpreted strictly as increasing chlamydia incidence, as the observed rise can be explained by improvements in screening coverage, diagnostic tests, and reporting.
Source: Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Category: Sexual Medicine Tags: Original Studies Source Type: research