Most studies of sexually transmitted diseases in homosexual men have examined prevalence in clinic populations; for comparative purposes, we analyzed data from a survey of 4,329 gay men conducted in 1977.Among 4,212 respondents to the self-administered questionnaire, 66.8 per cent reported previous infection with pediculosis; 38.4 per cent, gonorrhea; 24.1 per cent, nonspecific urethritis; 18.1 per cent, venereal warts; 13.5 per cent, syphilis; 9.7 per cent, hepatitis; and 9.4 per cent, herpes. Number of different lifetime sexual partners best predicted histories of syphilis (r = .249), gonorrhea (r = .402), and the other diseases; frequency of checkups, years as a practicing homosexual, and furtive sexual activities were among the many Before Goodman' described an outbreak of infectious syphilis among homosexual men in New York City, American physicians were either unaware of the venereal disease problem in this population or too reluctant to talk about it.2Since 1944, homosexual men have increasingly become acknowledged as a high-risk group, and efforts have been made to meet their special needs.3Most studies of homosexual men to date have focused on syphilis and gonorrhea among public and gay clinic patients. We studied eight sexually transmitted diseases in 4,212 homosexual men who responded to a self-administered questionnaire in order to: 1) compare the distribution of selfreported sexually transmitted diseases with clinically reported distributions; 2) assess relative risk indicators for syphilis, gonorrhea, and other sexually transmitted diseases; and 3) evaluate reactions to medical care.
Blacks treated in Sacramento County(CA) Clinics were most likely to have gonorrhea, Chicanos were slightly more likely to have nonspecific urethritis and other sexually transmitted diseases, and Whites were most likely to be uninfected. Whites tended to name greater numbers of different sexual partners, but differences among the three groups were not Since the early days of Reconstruction, rates of venereal disease (VD) for Black and Spanish-surname Americans have generally been higher than those reported for Whites
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