Table 3 Gender‐based and combined prevalence of sexually transmitted infection, by symptoms, among the sexually active study respondents, in a random sample of men and women (n = 1345) from low‐income communities of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, from March to June 2001.

	Men		Women		Total
	Asymp	Symp	Asymp	Symp	Asymp	Symp
STIs causing discharge
Total (n = 1227)*	531 (97.3)	15 (2.7)	529 (77.7)	152 (22.3)	1060 (86.4)	167 (13.6)
No infection (NG, CT and Trich −ve)§	528 (97.2)	15 (2.8)	31 (77.5)	9 (22.5)	559 (95.9)	24 (4.1)
Only NG (NG +ve, CT and Trich −ve)	0 (0)	0 (0)	2 (66.7)	1 (33.3)	2 (66.7)	1 (33.3)
Only CT (CT +ve, NG and Trich −ve)	2 (100.0)	0 (0)	1 (100.0)	0 (0)	3 (100.0)	0 (0)
Only Trich (Trich +ve, NG and CT −ve)	0 (0)	0 (0)	31 (77.5)	9 (22.5)	31 (77.5)	9 (22.5)
Any discharge STI (NG or CT or Trich +ve)	3 (100.0)	0 (0)	35 (77.8)	10 (22.2)	38 (79.2)	10 (20.8)
STIs causing sores
Total (n = 1228)†	524 (96.0)	22 (4.0)	674 (98.8)	8 (1.2)	1198 (97.6)	30 (2.4)
No infection(HSV2 and syphilis −ve)§	457 (97.0)	14 (3.0)	543 (98.7)	7 (9.3)	1000 (97.9)	21 (2.1)
Only HSV2 infection (HSV2 +ve, and syphilis −ve)	61 (88.4)‡	8 (11.6)‡	122 (99.2)	1 (0.8)	183 (95.3)	9 (4.7)
Only syphilis infection (Syphilis +ve and HSV2 −ve)	4 (100.0)	0 (0)	5 (100.0)	0 (0)	465 (97.1)	14 (2.9)
Any sore STI (HSV2 or syphilis +ve)	67 (89.3)	8 (10.7)	131 (99.2)	1 (0.8)	198 (95.7)	9 (4.3)

Values are n (%).‐ve, negative; +ve, positive; Asymp, asymptomatic; CT, chlamydia; HSV2, herpes simplex virus type 2; NG, gonorrhoea; STI, sexually transmitted infection; Symp, symptomatic; Trich, trichomoniasis.

*Missing data on 118 sexually active respondents for the presence of genital discharge in the past week.

†Missing data on 117 sexually active respondents for the presence of genital sores in past week.

‡p<0.05.

§Reference groups.