Homosexuality and Syphilis

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis suggested that approximately 64 percent of all adult primary and secondary syphilis cases in 2004 were among men who have sex with men.

Concerning homosexuality and syphilis, an early publication to propose the link between homosexuality contributing to the spread of the sexually transmitted disease syphilis was the English publication  Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine in 1962.[1] The  Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine made the following statement: "The importance of homosexual practices in the spread of venereal diseases has attracted particular attention recently. It almost seems that these practices are keeping syphilis alive in this country." [1]

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported:

“  |  Between 2016 and 2017, the number of reported primary and secondary (P&S) cases in the United States increased by 10.5%, and there were 30,644 P&S syphilis cases reported in 2017. Most (58%) of these cases were among MSM.[2] |  ”

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The news organization Cybercast News Service reported the following about homosexuality and syphilis:

“  |  The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says homosexual men accounted for 65 percent of the nearly 12,000 cases of syphilis in the United States in 2007, making them the “primary driver” of increased syphilis rates overall.

In a report on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) issued Tuesday, the government said syphilis, a disease that was almost eliminated as a public health threat less than 10 years ago, is on the rise -- with cases increasing each year since 2000.[3]

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The CDC also stated that their data suggests that approximately 64 percent of all adult primary and secondary syphilis cases in 2004 were among men who have sex with men.[4] In 2003 in the United States syphilis rates were epidemic among homosexuals in urban areas.[5]

Concerned Women of America reported:

“  |  Medical literature shows homosexuals to be at especially high risk for syphilis. The Archives of Internal Medicine reported on a study in 1991 that found, "Homosexually active men are significantly more likely to report syphilis and less likely to present with primary syphilis than heterosexual men." The British Co-operative Clinical Group noted that homosexuals acquired syphilis at a rate ten times that of heterosexuals. Other journals also note a high correlation of homosexuality and syphilis.[6] |  ”

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The medical literature has many articles associating homosexuality with syphilis or reporting syphilis is increasing among homosexual men in various countries (syphilis is increasing in many developed countries among the homosexual men population).[7]

## Contents

* 1 British Medical Journal Overview of Homosexuality and Syphilis
* 2 Neurosyphilis and Urban Homosexual Populations in the United States
* 3 Syphilis, Gay Bowel Syndrome, and HIV Infection
* 4 See also
* 5 References

## British Medical Journal Overview of Homosexuality and Syphilis[edit]

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) wrote:

“  |  Between the 1960s and the late 1970s homosexually acquired syphilitic infection increased, in keeping with liberalization of attitudes towards homosexual behaviour.7 Changes in behaviour in response to HIV/AIDS, particularly among homosexual men, may have contributed to dramatic reductions in syphilis in the 1980s. During the 1990s, until 1998, the number of cases of infectious syphilis diagnosed remained stable among both sexes in England, but then more than doubled between 1998 and 2000 (from 172 to 372) in men and rose by 53% (102 to 156) in women (figure).8 In 2000, 48% of syphilis infections in men were homosexually acquired, rates being highest in London (men 2.9/100 000; women 0.8/100 000) and in north west England (men 2.0/100 000; women 0.2/100 000) regions. The increases that have been observed over recent years are largely due to several localized outbreaks.[8] |  ”

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## Neurosyphilis and Urban Homosexual Populations in the United States[edit]

The LA Weekly reported the following in July 2007:

“  |  On June 29, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that neurosyphilis — a serious and rare form of syphilis, which can lead to blindness and stroke — had been found in HIV-positive gay and bisexual men in Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago and New York...

Critics are peeved that government bureaucrats in Los Angeles County, despite the raging syphilis and emergent neurosyphilis in gay men, have leisurely spent their time over the past year developing and testing yet another marketing campaign.[9]

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Peter LaBarbera

Peter LaBarbera reported relative to the issue of neurosyphilis and homosexuality:

“  |  The increase in syphilis cases among gay men, particularly among those who are HIV positive, has been a concern for years. Most troubling is the occurrence of early neurosyphilis, when the infection spreads to the central nervous system and the brain.

Now a review of 170 possible neurosyphilis cases in four cities – Los Angeles (74), New York (47), Chicago (32) and San Diego (17) – has shed new light on the risks for HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM). The review was published in the June 28 issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.”

The report looked at cases over a 30-month period, January 2002 to June 2004, and narrowed them to 99 patients who had evidence of syphilis in their blood and physical symptoms compatible with neurosyphilis. Of the total, 57 self-identified as MSM, while 49 were HIV positive.[10]

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## Syphilis, Gay Bowel Syndrome, and HIV Infection[edit]

Syphilis is one of the conditions associated with gay bowel syndome which is condition which has been linked to HIV infection.[11][12][13]

## See also[edit]

* Homosexuality
* Homosexuality and health

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 A.J. King, The Complications of Homosexuality, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, Volume 55 October 1962
2. ↑ Syphilis & MSM (Men Who Have Sex With Men) - CDC Fact Sheet, taken from the CDC website on February 2, 2019
3. ↑ Homosexual Men Account for 65 Percent of Syphilis Cases, CDC Study Finds
4. ↑ New CDC Data Show Syphilis Increasing in Men, CDC Media Relations Press Release, November 8, 2005
5. ↑ http://www.aegis.com/conferences/NHIVPC/2003/MP-066.html
6. ↑ 1997 webpage of Concerned Women of America is no longer in existence
7. ↑
* Trends in primary and secondary syphilis among men who have sex with men in the United States,American Journal of Public Health, Heffelfinger JD, Swint EB, Berman SM, Weinstock HS, 2007 Jun;97(6):1076-83
* A syphilis outbreak: recent trends in infectious syphilis in Birmingham, UK, in 2005 and control strategies, International Journal of STD & AIDS, Yarlagadda S, Acharya S, Goold P, Ward DJ, Ross JD., 2007 Jun;18(6):410-2
* Outbreak of syphilis, but not of acute hepatitis C, among HIV-infected homosexual men in Madrid, HIV Clinical Trials, 2007 Mar-Apr;8(2):98-101
* Methamphetamine use and sexual risk behaviours among men who have sex with men diagnosed with early syphilis in Los Angeles County, International Journal of STD & AIDS, 2007 Feb;18(2):93-7.
* Rising rates of syphilis in the era of syphilis elimination, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 2007 Mar;34(3):154-61
* The syphilis outbreak in Northern Ireland, International journal of STD & AIDS, 2007 Jun;18(6):413-7
* HIV-1, sexually transmitted infections, and sexual behavior trends among men who have sex with men in Lima, Peru, Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 2007 Apr 15;44(5):578-85
* The resurgence of syphilis among men who have sex with men, Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases, 2007 Feb;20(1):54-9
* Making sense of syphilis: beliefs, behaviours and disclosure among gay men recently diagnosed with infectious syphilis and the implications for prevention, Sexual Health, 2006 Sep;3(3):155-61
* Re-emergence of syphilis in Sweden: results from a surveillance study for 2004, Euro Surveillance, 2005 Nov 10;10(11):E051110.2
* HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis are increasing among homosexual men,Läkartidningen, 2001 Apr 11;98(15):1793-5
8. ↑ http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/325/7356/153
9. ↑ http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/gay-syphilis-scourge-skyrockets/16798/
10. ↑ http://americansfortruth.com/issues/health-science/physical-health/page/2/
11. ↑ The gay bowel syndrome: clinico-pathologic correlation in 260 cases., Kazal HL, Sohn N, Carrasco JI, Robilotti JG, Delaney WE., Annals of Clinical & Laboratory Science, Ann Clin Lab Sci. 1976 Mar-Apr;6(2):184-92.
12. ↑ Johns Hopkins HIV Guide, review of the literature - essentially duplicate of Medscape's New Look at Gay Bowel Syndrome, 2004, Wayback machine
13. ↑ Medscape - New Look at "Gay Bowel Syndrome"