Men who have sex with men diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection are significantly more likely to engage in sexualised drug use

Ottaway, Zoë; Finnerty, Fionnuala; Amlani, Aliza; Pinto-Sander, Nicolas; Szanyi, Joshua; Richardson, Daniel

doi:10.1177/0956462416666753

Cited by 50 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Previous work in the UK has shown that, among HIVpositive MSM, recreational drug use, regardless of the sexual context, is associated with condomless sex, including with partners of unknown or HIV-negative status, creating the possibility for HIV transmission [13,14]. Drug use has also been linked to outbreaks of Shigella flexneri 3a among MSM in London [15] and an increased incidence of bacterial STIs and hepatitis C [12,[16][17][18]. Reports from urban centres such as London and Bristol suggest that chemsex is increasing in popularity [6,8,19,20], is more common among HIV-positive than HIV-negative MSM [7,8,13,16], and may be linked to HIV transmission [9,13,[21][22][23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexualized drug use (‘chemsex’) and high‐risk sexual behaviours in HIV‐positive men who have sex with men

et al. 2018

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ObjectivesThe incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV infection remains high in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the UK, and sexualized drug use (“chemsex”) and injecting drug use (“slamsex”) may play a part in this. We aimed to characterize HIV‐positive MSM engaging in chemsex/slamsex and to assess the associations with self‐reported STI diagnoses and sexual behaviours.MethodsData from a 2014 survey of people attending HIV clinics in England and Wales were linked to clinical data from national HIV surveillance records and weighted to be nationally representative. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the associations of chemsex and slamsex with self‐reported unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), serodiscordant UAI (sdUAI) (i.e. UAI with an HIV‐negative or unknown HIV status partner), sdUAI with a detectable viral load (>50 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL), hepatitis C, and bacterial STIs.ResultsIn the previous year, 29.5% of 392 sexually active participants engaged in chemsex, and 10.1% in slamsex. Chemsex was significantly associated with increased odds of UAI [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 5.73; P < 0.001], sdUAI (AOR 2.34; P < 0.05), sdUAI with a detectable viral load (AOR 3.86; P < 0.01), hepatitis C (AOR 6.58; P < 0.01), and bacterial STI diagnosis (AOR 2.65; P < 0.01). Slamsex was associated with increased odds of UAI (AOR 6.11; P < 0.05), hepatitis C (AOR 9.39; P < 0.001), and bacterial STI diagnosis (AOR 6.11; P < 0.001).ConclusionsThree in ten sexually active HIV‐positive MSM engaged in chemsex in the past year, which was positively associated with self‐reported depression/anxiety, smoking, nonsexual drug use, risky sexual behaviours, STIs, and hepatitis C. Chemsex may therefore play a role in the ongoing HIV and STI epidemics in the UK.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexualized drug use (‘chemsex’) and high‐risk sexual behaviours in HIV‐positive men who have sex with men

et al. 2018

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“…The relationship between sex and drug use is long established, however the use of drugs in sexual contexts (sexualised drug use) has potential implications for public health. Sexualised drug use (SDU) has been associated with risky sexual behaviours (Digiusto & Rawstorne, 2013;Hegazi et al, 2017;Nodin, Valera, Ventuneac, Maynard, & Carballo-Dieguez, 2011;, increasing the likelihood of participation in condomless sex and thus the risk of sexually transmitted infection (STI) or blood borne virus (BBV) transmission (Olufon & Cathcart, 2016;Ottaway, Finnerty, Amlani, et al, 2017;Page & Nelson, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexualised drug use in the United Kingdom (UK): A review of the literature

Edmundson

Heinsbroek

Glass

et al. 2018

International Journal of Drug Policy

177

135

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“…No consensus European definition is available. Certain studies have found chemsex to be associated with a number of HIV risk factors such as multiple sexual partners, group sex and condomless sex in men who have sex with men (MSM) [ 2 – 4 ]. One study found an association between chemsex and incident sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in HIV-infected individuals [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increases in condomless chemsex associated with HIV acquisition in MSM but not heterosexuals attending a HIV testing center in Antwerp, Belgium

et al. 2018

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BackgroundIt has been speculated that the prevalence of chemsex is increasing in men who have sex with men and that this may be playing a role in the spread of HIV.MethodsWe assessed if the prevalence of reported chemsex was increasing and if chemsex was associated with HIV infection in clients attending the ‘Helpcenter’, Antwerp, between 2011 and 2017. This is a HIV/STI testing center that offers HIV/STI testing to HIV-uninfected individuals from key populations including MSM.ResultsWe found an increase in the reporting of condomless sex associated with the use of a number of drugs, including ecstasy, amphetamines, GHB and cocaine in MSM (from 8 to 17%) but not in heterosexuals. Reporting condomless chemsex was associated with HIV infection (adjusted odds ratio 5.7 [95% confidence interval 3.2–10.4]).ConclusionsOur findings provide further evidence of the importance of asking MSM clients about the use of psychoactive substances during consultations and tailoring interventions such as pre exposure prophylaxis, more frequent STI screening and substance abuse counseling accordingly.

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Men who have sex with men diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection are significantly more likely to engage in sexualised drug use

Cited by 50 publications

References 11 publications

Sexualized drug use (‘chemsex’) and high‐risk sexual behaviours in HIV‐positive men who have sex with men

Sexualized drug use (‘chemsex’) and high‐risk sexual behaviours in HIV‐positive men who have sex with men

Sexualised drug use in the United Kingdom (UK): A review of the literature

Increases in condomless chemsex associated with HIV acquisition in MSM but not heterosexuals attending a HIV testing center in Antwerp, Belgium

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