Changes in the profile of newly HIV-diagnosed men who have sex with men, Madrid, 2014 to 2019

Abstract

Introduction Knowing the factors associated with HIV transmission is necessary in order to design preventive programmes tailored to the epidemiological situation in each region and population. Aim Our objective was to study the sociodemographic, clinical and behavioural characteristics of men who have sex with men (MSM) who were newly diagnosed with HIV infection. Methods We carried out an observational, descriptive, study on all MSM newly diagnosed with HIV infection in one clinic for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV clinic in Madrid between 2014 and 2019. Information on sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioural characteristics of participants per year of diagnosis was collected. Results We detected a total of 1,398 people with HIV infection, 253 of whom were recent seroconverters (rSCV) with a median duration of documented seroconversion of 6 months. From the total, 97.9% infections were sexually transmitted and 2.1% involved injected drugs, i.e. slam practices. The average age was 32.9 years (range: 15.6–74.9), 51.8% were Spanish and 40% Latin American. These diagnoses decreased in Spanish people and increased in Latin Americans during the study period. Of the rSCV, 73.9% had condomless sex under the influence of drugs and 28.9% participated in chemsex sessions. Apps were used by 92.6% rSCV for sexual encounters and 70.4% of them attributed HIV transmission to their use. Conclusions Combination of HIV prevention strategies, as pre-exposure prophylaxis, should be reinforced among young MSM, especially those born in Latin America, those who use drugs for sex, and those who use apps in search of sexual contacts.

Sex-based epidemiological and immunovirological characteristics of people living with HIV in current follow-up at a tertiary hospital: a comparative retrospective study, Catalonia, Spain, 1982 to 2020

“…These findings are consistent with those presented in recent years by various Spanish working groups [7,12,13], and they have important clinical implications because they have been related to differences in aspects such as risk behaviours and diagnostic delays (although not demonstrated in our cohort), coinfection with other pathogens at diagnosis, presentation of disease, adherence to treatment, or treatment failure [12,14].…”

Profile of Newly Diagnosed Patients with HIV Infection in North-Eastern Romania

“…In a Spanish study, from a total of 1398 HIV-positive individuals, 2.1% of the infections involved injected drugs or slam practices, and 97.9% of the infections were sexually transmitted. The median age was 32.9 years, comparable to our results, and 40.1% of the population was Latin American [10].…”

Using social and sexual networking mobile applications to promote HIV testing, medical care and prevention services among Latino men who have sex with men in Los Angeles County, California, USA

“…Research on apps use by MSM is conducted worldwide. Examples of this include studies from Australia [37], Brazil [38,39]; Canada [40], China [41][42][43][44][45][46][47], Ecuador [48,49], England [50], Japan [51], the Netherlands [52], the Philippines [53] and Spain [54,55]. Most of these studies explored topics such as users' experiences connecting with others through apps, engaging in high-risk behaviors, and using apps for obtaining sexual health and HIV prevention information, as well as the opportunities provided for promoting HIV testing and linkage to HIV treatment via apps to users.…”