Study finds discrepancy among chlamydia screening rates

Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have determined that young African-American and Hispanic women are much more likely to get screened for chlamydia than young white women.

In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, a team of biostatisticians found that black women between the ages of 14 and 25 are nearly three times as likely to get tested for chlamydia as their white peers.

For Hispanic women, the discrepancy was even larger. The study's authors determined that Latinas of that age group get screened for the infection at nearly 10 times the rate that young white women do.

Researchers theorized that this imbalance in testing may be behind the higher reported rates of chlamydia among minorities. They concluded that physicians must encourage all women to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Though its symptoms are often undetectable, chlamydia may lead to pelvic inflammation or infertility if it is left untreated. Individuals at risk for STDs may consider looking into online testing services.

Compared to whites in the U.S., African-Americans and Hispanics have eight times and three times the rate of chlamydia, respectively, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.