Title
Sexual Behavior and Sexually Transmitted Infection Outcomes among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Women Participating in a Study of the Timing of Antiretroviral Therapy in Lima, Peru
Date Issued
01 December 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Wolters Kluwer Health
Abstract
Background We assessed sexual behavior and incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among men who have sex with men and transgender women participating in Sabes, a study of an expanded treatment as prevention strategy focused on early diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection in Lima, Peru (2013-2017). Methods Sabes participants were tested monthly for HIV to identify acute or early infections, and HIV-positive participants were randomized to receive antiretroviral therapy immediately (immediate arm) or after 24 weeks (deferred arm) during a 48-week follow-up period. Sexual behavior was assessed at randomization (baseline) and every 12 weeks thereafter. Participants were tested for urethral and rectal chlamydia and gonorrhea and for syphilis at baseline, 12, 24, and 48 weeks. We describe patterns of sexual behavior during the 48-week follow-up period and compare sexual behavior and STI incidence between study arms. Results After randomization, 207 HIV-positive participants completed questionnaires and STI testing at 2 or more visits. After HIV diagnosis, participants in both arms reported increases in condom use with main and casual partners and decreased drug and alcohol use before or during anal sex. We observed no between-arm differences in sexual behavior. Deferred arm participants had higher incidence of chlamydia (incidence rate ratio, 2.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-4.77) but not gonorrhea or syphilis. Conclusions Despite reported increases in condom use, the overall high incidence of STIs reflects some ongoing condomless sex among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women, highlighting the importance of regular STI screening and counseling to support consistent condom use among HIV-positive individuals at risk for STIs.
Start page
825
End page
831
Volume
47
Issue
12
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencias socio biomédicas (planificación familiar, salud sexual, efectos políticos y sociales de la investigación biomédica) Dermatología, Enfermedades venéreas
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85096153652
PubMed ID
Source
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
ISSN of the container
01485717
Sponsor(s)
Conflict of Interest and Sources of Funding: A.C.D. received antiretroviral therapy for this project from Merck & Co. and Gilead Sciences Inc. All other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (F31 MH114892 trainee support to M.A.M., TL1 TR002318 trainee support to T.N., and R01 DA032106 to A.C.D.). Antiretroviral therapy for this project was donated by Merck & Co. and Gilead Sciences Inc.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus