Gender Differences in Risk for Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Abstract

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a major threat to the health of Americans. Chlamydial and gonococcal infections are 2 of the 5 most common infectious diseases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sexually transmitted disease surveillance 2009. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta (GA)2010 Google Scholar In recent years, as rates of STDs have plateaued (gonorrhea, syphilis) or risen (chlamydia), supplementary data indicate that viral STDs such as genital herpes afflict 1 in 5 sexually active Americans and that human papilloma virus will infect more than 80% of sexually active adults. 2. Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 among persons aged 14–49 years—United States 2005–2008. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2010; 59: 456-459 PubMed Google Scholar , 3. Dunne E.F. Unger E.R. Sternberg M. et al. Prevalence of HPV infection among females in the United States. JAMA. 2007; 297: 813-819 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1149) Google Scholar Thus, viral STDs are far more common than the reportable bacterial STDs and are typically unrecognized by those with infection. As in the United States, STDs are a global health problem; however, rates of curable bacterial STDs are, unfortunately, more common in the United States than in other developed nations. 4. Aral S.O. Holmes K.K. The epidemiology of STIs and their social and behavioral determinants: industrial and developing countries. in: Holmes K.K. Sparling P.F. Stamm W.E. Sexually transmitted diseases. 4th ed. The McGraw Hill Companies, New York (NY)2008: 53-92 Google Scholar