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High prevalence of asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections in HIV-infected men who have sex with men: A stimulus to improve screening

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International Journal of STD & AIDS: Clinical practice in sexual health

Published online on

Abstract

In Ireland the incidence of sexually transmitted infections is steadily increasing while the number of new HIV-diagnoses in men who have sex with men has more than doubled in the past decade. This study investigated the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in asymptomatic HIV-infected men who have sex with men attending a clinic for routine HIV care in the largest HIV-centre in Ireland. Fifty HIV-infected men who have sex with men were included in the study (mean age [SD] 38years [9], 66% Irish). Sixteen per cent of HIV-infected men who have sex with men screened were diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection. Thirty-eight per cent reported always using condoms while 4% reported never using condoms, 46% used condoms inconsistently and 10% reported no sexual contacts in the preceding 12 months. Recognising the need to optimise sexually transmitted infection screening, a pilot self-screening programme was subsequently introduced to our HIV clinic as a quality improvement initiative. Asymptomatic men who have sex with men attending for routine HIV care were invited to have an opportunistic sexually transmitted infection-screen either provider performed or by self-screening. Seventy-one patients were included in the pilot. Sixty-five (92%) opted for self-collected rectal swabs. Ten sexually transmitted infections were detected in eight patients. This study supports guidelines recommending routine screening for sexually transmitted infections in the care of HIV-infected patients and highlights opportunities to provide relevant screening and education interventions targeting unsafe sexual behaviours.