Syphilis incidence in men who have sex with men with human immunodeficiency virus comorbidity and the importance of integrating sexually transmitted infection prevention into HIV care.

Syphilis incidence in men who have sex with men with human immunodeficiency virus comorbidity and the importance of integrating sexually transmitted infection prevention into HIV care. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2018 Feb 28;: Authors: Refugio ON, Klausner JD Abstract INTRODUCTION: Syphilis continues to be a growing epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly for those living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In 2016, MSM accounted for 80% of primary and secondary syphilis diagnoses in men in the United States; almost half of who were also HIV-infected. The synergistic relationship between HIV and syphilis has significant implications not only for HIV patient management, but also for sexually transmitted infection (STI) control among MSM. Areas covered: We review the literature on STI screening and treatment barriers at the patient-, provider-, and health system-levels, and present strategies to incorporate STI prevention into HIV care settings. Expert commentary: Integration of STI prevention into HIV care is paramount to stop the epidemic of not only syphilis, but also other curable STIs like gonorrhea and chlamydia. Although guidelines have been established for STI testing in HIV-infected MSM, screening rates continue to be lower than desired. Gonorrhea and chlamydia screening is below 50% in HIV-infected MSM; interventions that improve testing of those two infections must be implemented. For syphilis ...
Source: Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther Source Type: research