Chemsex/Slamsex and STIs: What are the Risks?
Results of this study suggest a combined epidemic of sexual ill-health, drug use harms, and mental illness among HIV-positive MSM who engage in slamsex and chemsex.
How do chemsex and slamsex contribute to the high incidence of STIs in men who have sex with men (MSM)?
A self-reported survey of HIV clinics in England and Wales showed links between chemsex and slamsex and risky sexual behaviors.
Over 40% of MSM had received a diagnosis of a bacterial STI in past year.
Hepatitis C, bacterial STI, and multiple STIs were among the risks of chemsex/slamsex.
STIs and new HIV diagnoses have increased markedly in the UK in recent years, and men who have sex with men are the most heavily affected. What do chemsex and slamsex have to do with this trend?Â
References:
1. González-Baeza A, Dolengevich-Segal H, Pérez-Valero I, et al. Sexualized Drug Use (Chemsex) Is Associated with High-Risk Sexual Behaviors and Sexually Transmitted Infections in HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex with Men: Data from the U-SEX GESIDA 9416 Study. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2018 Mar;32(3):112-118. doi: 10.1089/apc.2017.0263.
