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from Medical Issues
American Academy Of Family Physicians
Publishes Health Screening Guidelines For Gay Patients
June 10, 2004 -- American Family Physician, the official journal
of the American Academy of Family Physicians, published health screening
guidelines for gay patients in its May, 2004 issue.
Dr. Daniel Knight, (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) authored the
report. In it, he notes that "Recent trends indicate a resurgence in risky
behaviors that expose men who have sex with men to HIV infection and other STDs.
The reported prevalence of men engaging in un-protected anal intercourse
increased from 37% in 1993-94 to 50% in 1996-1997."
Dr. Knight also warns: "There is evidence that many men are engaging in
dangerous sexual practices that may jeopardize their health. These sexual
practices include anal sex without a condom ('barebacking'), oral sex without a
condom, oral stimulation of the anus ('rimming') without protection, multiple
sex partners at one time, and the use of illicit drugs."
The report states that "Men who have sex with men are at significant risk of
contracting HIV infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), as well
as gonorrhea, syphilis, and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection."
Dr. Knight urges family physicians to conduct sexual, behavioral, and
psychological risk assessments with homosexual patients and to do so in a
nonjudgmental way.
He notes that "homosexuality has been associated with higher rates of
psychologic and behavioral disorders, including depression, anxiety, mood
disorders, suicidal thoughts and plans, eating disorders, alcohol and substance
abuse, and cigarette smoking." However, he blames the "stigmatization of
homosexuality in American society" as a causative factor in the development of
these various disorders.
In his conclusion, Dr. Knight suggests that "specific data should be collected
on the prevalence of anal neoplasia in men with a history of receptive anal sex,
with special emphasis on HIV-infected men with HPV infection."
The American Cancer Society has an online book, Cancer Medicine, which includes
a chapter titled, "Neoplasm of the Anus." This chapter deals specifically with
the rising levels of anal cancer among homosexual males and notes that gay men
are now getting this cancer at a younger age from the regular practice of anal
intercourse.
Updated: 8 February 2008
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