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Erectile Dysfunction Medication Prescription and Condomless Intercourse in HIV-Infected Men Who have Sex with Men in the United States

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Abstract

Using nationally representative data, we assessed the prevalence of erectile dysfunction medication (EDM) prescription, and its association with insertive condomless anal intercourse (CAI) with an HIV-serodiscordant partner among sexually-active HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) receiving medical care in the United States. Overall, 14 % (95 % CI 12–16) were prescribed EDM and 21 % (95 % CI 19–23) engaged in serodiscordant CAI. MSM who were prescribed EDM were more likely to engage in insertive CAI with a serodiscordant casual partner than those not prescribed EDM after adjusting for illicit drug use before or during sex (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.38; 95 % CI 1.01–1.88). We found no association with main partners. Only 40 % (95 % CI 36–44) of MSM prescribed EDM received risk-reduction counseling from healthcare professionals. Risk-reduction counseling should be provided at least annually to all HIV-infected persons as recommended, especially at the time of EDM prescription.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the MMP patients, facilities and Community and Provider Advisory Board members. They also thank the MMP staff (2009–2012): http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/research_mmp_studygroupmembers_2009.pdf; http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/research_mmp_studygroupmembers_2010.pdf; http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/research_mmp_studygroupmembers_2011.pdf; http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/research_mmp_studygroupmembers_2012.pdf.

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The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA

    Xia Lin

  2. Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Xia Lin, Christine L. Mattson, Mark Freedman & Jacek Skarbinski

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The Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All authors declare no conflicts of interest. The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention determined that MMP was a public health surveillance activity and not subject to federal institutional review board review. However, some jurisdictions obtained approval from local Institutional Review Boards. All participants provided informed consent to participate in the interview.

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Lin, X., Mattson, C.L., Freedman, M. et al. Erectile Dysfunction Medication Prescription and Condomless Intercourse in HIV-Infected Men Who have Sex with Men in the United States. AIDS Behav 21, 1129–1137 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1552-1

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