Risky Sexual Behaviors place several Young Gay Men in danger of HIV

Young yankee gay and bisexual men UN agency have detectable blood levels of HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — also are additional seemingly to have interaction in risky sexual behavior that may unfold the virus, a brand new study has found.

“While several of those young men area unit engaged in care, and success stories area unit several, we have a tendency to still have work to try to to to scale back the speed of latest infections,” study author Patrick Wilson, associate professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University’s carrier college of Public Health in ny town, aforementioned in a very university news unleash.

Different ways to assist forestall HIV infections and promote sex area unit required for this cluster, his team wrote within the Dec. seven issue of the journal JAMA medical specialty.

According to the researchers, young men between the ages of thirteen and twenty nine UN agency area unit gay or bisexual area unit significantly liable to infection with HIV and currently account for quite twenty five % of latest infections within the us every year.

The new study wanted to see UN agency is most in danger, and why. The analysis concerned nearly one,000 young gay and bisexual men between the ages of fifteen and twenty six. All had visited teenage HIV clinics within the us between Dec 2009 and June 2012.

According to Wilson’s team, quite common fraction of the boys — sixty nine % — had detectable levels of HIV.

Investigating more, the researchers found that forty six % of those young men had engaged in sexual perversion while not a prophylactic over the past 3 months. Moreover, thirty one % of the participants UN agency had a partner with a special HIV standing — one was infected, one wasn't — engaged in sexual behavior that place the antiseptic partner in danger.

Young men with detectable levels of the virus were additional seemingly to own sexual perversion while not a prophylactic with a partner UN agency didn’t have HIV, compared to participants UN agency didn't have detectable levels of the virus, the Columbia study showed.

Of those with detectable HIV, fifty five % rumored having sexual perversion while not a prophylactic. In distinction, forty four % of the young gay men whose HIV was suppressed or undetectable (typically because of medication use) did identical.

Among the boys with detectable HIV, thirty five % had unprotected sexual perversion with associate HIV-negative partner. Of the boys with suppressed HIV, twenty five % had unsafe sex with a partner UN agency had a special HIV standing.

Risky sexual behavior was additional common among gay and bisexual men with detectable HIV UN agency additionally had issues with misuse, the researchers noted. it had been additionally additional common among the boys with detectable HIV UN agency disclosed their standing to their partners.

“Combination HIV hindrance and treatment interventions, that embody activity, medicine and structural ways to extend microorganism suppression and cut back HIV transmission risk behaviors, that concentrate on HIV-infected young men UN agency make out with men area unit required,” Wilson aforementioned. “To really curb HIV incidence among this cluster of people, we have a tendency to cannot alone think about one strategy to stop and treat HIV.”

One professional aforementioned young gay men stay a supply of concern once it involves HIV infection.

“We have famous that HIV has weakened in most age teams within the us, however continues to extend altogether patients aged 13-24, and even additional therefore in gay and bisexual men during this age bracket,” said Dr. David Rosenthal, UN agency directs the middle for Young Adult, Adolescent, and medicine HIV at North Shore-LIJ Health System in nice Neck, N.Y.

The study suggests that men “who were possibly to own condomless perversion with an individual UN agency isn't living with HIV were black/African yankee race, drank alcohol daily and were at-risk teenage substance abusers,” he said. “Thus, we want to create certain our HIV hindrance ways area unit specifically reaching bent those people.”

One proved  HIV hindrance strategy is that the use of medication like Truvada, or PreP, “an FDA-approved medication that's given daily to patients UN agency don't have HIV, however UN agency area unit partaking in behaviors that might create them acquire HIV, so as to stop the transmission of HIV,” Rosenthal aforementioned.

“This study speaks to specific subpopulations of patients UN agency might most want homework, and the way we have a tendency to should reach bent these patients — UN agency historically area unit underserved by the health profession — to supply them with the most effective health care we will,” he added.