Sex and Sexual Orientation as Potential Risk Factors for Coinfection With Sexually Transmitted Infections in Surabaya, Indonesia: A Single-Center Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Sexually transmitted diseases are infections transmitted from an infected person to an uninfected person through sexual contact. We conducted this study to evaluate the prevalence and the risk factors of coinfection because there has been few research that thoroughly demonstrates its occurrence in Indonesia, particularly in Surabaya. Methods: This research is a retrospective analytical study at Dr Soetomo General Academic Hospital in a period of 2019 to 2021, and primarily aimed to assess risk factors associated with coinfection events in patients with sexually transmitted infections. Patient’s data included sex, age, occupation, marital status, comorbid factors, number of sexual partners, sexual orientation, and patient’s nonsexual behavior were taken from the medical records for analysis. The chi-square test was used to analyze the correlations between variables. Results: There were 416 sexually transmitted infection patients between 2019 and 2021. Among them, 187 patients were proved to have coinfections, of which 184 patients had 2 coinfections and 3 patients had 3 coinfections. There was a statistically significant difference in the presence of coinfections according to sex and sexual orientation (both P < 0.001), however, there was no statistically significant association of age, patient’s occupation, marital status, comorbidity, and sexual partner with coinfection of patients with sexually transmitted infections. Conclusion: The incidence of coinfection is significantly associated with both sex and sexual orientation in Surabaya, Indonesia. The identified risk factors of coinfection should be considered in the development of local public health strategies to prevent and control sexually transmitted diseases.