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Editorial| Volume 74, ISSUE 3, P203-205, March 2013

Sexually transmitted infections in older men

      Anybody who has a new sexual partner is at risk of a sexually transmitted infection (STI), whatever their age. The latest Health Protection Agency (HPA) data on STIs in England show new STI diagnoses from 2010 to 2011 rose by 2% to 426,867 cases, primarily associated with increased rates of gonorrhoea, syphilis and genital herpes. While young heterosexuals (15–24 years old) and men who have sex with men (MSM) remained at highest risk, the percentage of STIs in the older age groups is also increasing and are considerably higher for men than women in all the older age ranges (Fig. 1). Data from the USA (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) show STI rates were up by almost 50% for men over 40 between 1996 and 2008.
      Figure thumbnail gr1
      Fig. 1Rates of acute STIs in England, 2011 by age and gender.

      Keywords

      Abbreviations:

      STI (sexually transmitted infection), HPA (health protection agency), MSM (men who have sex with men), ED (erectile dysfunction)
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      References

      1. Lyons A, Pitts M, Grierson J. Versatility and HIV vulnerability: patterns of insertive and receptive anal sex in a national sample of older Australian gay men. AIDS Behavior, in press (epub ahead of print).

      2. Center for sexual health promotion. University of Indiana. National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB). http://www.nationalsexstudy.indiana.edu/.

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