A clinicoepidemiological study of sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men from a tertiary care centre in South India

Background: The prevalence of men who have sex with men (MSM) is showing an increasing trend in general population. MSM being a high risk population are more prone to develop sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Methods: With the help of Sevana, a nongovernmental organization (NGO), we were able to mobilize 81 MSM for detailed evaluation. All MSM, after an informed consent were given a behavioural questionnaire, followed by detailed history taking, clinical examination, pre-test counselling and specimen collection. Results: All of them were clinically asymptomatic. Of the total 81 MSM in our study, 27(33.3%) had STIs as evidenced by laboratory investigations. Out of these, 3 (3.7%) had multiple STIs. The most common STI in our study group was asymptomatic herpes gentalis (12.4%), followed by latent syphilis (9.9%) and non gonococcal urethritis (8.6%). Conclusions: The high incidence of asymptomatic STIs among MSMs in our study points to the need for strengthening targeted intervention including condom usage and a compulsory medical check-up and serological screening at least once in six months for early detection and treatment of STIs. This in turn would help us in preventing the transmission of STIs including HIV.