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Research letter
COVID-19, fear and sexual behaviour: a survey in a tertiary STI clinic in Lisbon
  1. Ana Luísa João1,
  2. André Lencastre2,3,
  3. Joana Calvão4,
  4. Ana Rodrigues1,
  5. Cândida Fernandes1
  1. 1 Dermatology Department, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central EPE, Lisboa, Portugal
  2. 2 Dermatology Department, Hospital de Cascais Dr Jose de Almeida, Alcabideche, Portugal
  3. 3 Dermatology Department, Hospital da Luz, Lisboa, Portugal
  4. 4 Dermatology Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra EPE, Coimbra, Portugal
  1. Correspondence to Dr Ana Luísa João, Dermatology Department, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central EPE, Lisboa, Portugal; luisajoao92{at}gmail.com

https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2020-054834

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    COVID-19 lockdowns impose constraints on sexual health services and related medical activities. Our STI clinic favoured telemedicine as advised by specialist societies,1 illustrating the feasibility of maintaining STI care provision during a state of emergency. Recommendations regarding changes to sexual behaviour were also provided.2 At least theoretically, lockdown could lead to behavioural changes and a reduction in the risk of STIs. To date, published reports indicate that during the lockdown of Spring 2020, STI incidence was either comparable3 or reduced4 5 relative to previous years. Whether the apparent reduction indicates a true epidemiological change or rather an underestimation due to lack of presentation for diagnosis remains to be determined.

    We therefore aimed to explore the effect of the exceptional challenges imposed by lockdowns on human behaviour and sexual health. The cross-sectional study was conducted in a …

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    Footnotes

    • Handling editor Anna Maria Geretti

    • Contributors ALJ was involved in the design and conduct of the survey and in writing the manuscript. AL collaborated in the design of the survey and in the revision of the article. JC collaborated in the conduct of the survey. AR and CF collaborated in the design and conduct of the survey and in the revision of the article.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.