Correlates ofTrichomonas vaginalisAmong Middle Age and Older Adults Who Use Drugs

Abstract

Age- and drug-related immune decline is hypothesized to contribute to increase susceptibility to T. vaginalis in mid-older adults. Broad screening for trichomoniasis, particularly among older adults who are often not regarded as at risk for STIs, is needed to control this often asymptomatic infection.

Burden of trichomoniasis among older adults in the United States: a systematic review

“…5,[16][17][18][19] Characteristics of included studies are in Table 1. 5,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Data collected encompassed the years 1993-2016. One study conducted a retrospective chart review for recorded diagnosis of TV infection, 24 while the remainder collected biological samples to assess infection status.…”

“…16,19,22 Additionally, infected older individuals were more likely to report drug use and high alcohol consumption. 19,23 Although TV has been linked as a risk factor for HIV transmission, none of the included articles examined TV prevalence specifically among people living with HIV, and only three articles reported HIV status in their study population. 19,20 In the 2013-2016 NHANES population, a greater proportion of TV-positive men were positive for HIV compared to TV-negative men, though the difference was not significant.…”

“…27 Interestingly, this study had the highest reported test positivity of all included articles. 23 Notably, none of the articles included in this review assessed incidence or rate of new T. vaginalis infection among the older population and most of the studies were Fig. 2.…”

Update on Laboratory Diagnosis and Epidemiology of Trichomonas vaginalis: You Can Teach an “Old” Dog “New” Trichs

“…Hearn et al 26 stratified 264 Baltimore women into age groups of 18 to 44 years and ≥45 years. The prevalence of T. vaginalis did not differ between the groups, yet older adults who tested positive for T. vaginaliswere more likely to have used marijuana (adjusted odds ratio, 3.1; P = 0.036) and crack cocaine (adjusted odds ratio, 3.8; P = 0.010) in the previous 6 months.…”

Sexual HIV risk behavior outcomes of brief interventions for drug use in an inner-city emergency department: Secondary outcomes from a randomized controlled trial

“…Drug use is a risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with drug-using individuals encountering risk via engaging in sexual risk behaviors (e.g., multiple partners, condomless intercourse) and sharing injection equipment (Centers for Disease Control, 2013; El-Bassel et al, 2014). Most drug-using adults do not inject (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2016); however, many are still at risk for HIV (and related outcomes including sexually transmitted infections [STIs] and Hepatitis C virus [HCV]) through sexual transmission (Epstein et al, 2015; Hearn et al, 2015). Research has identified associations between substance use and infrequent condom use and risky sexual decision-making (Berry and Johnson, 2017; Patrick et al, 2012).…”