Study finds higher STD rates among users of erectile dysfunction drugs
[Via Eureka! Science News]
Physicians who prescribe erectile dysfunction drugs for their male patients should be sure to discuss the importance of safer sex practices, even with older patients: that is an important implication of a report in the July 6 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The analysis of insurance records of more than 1.4 million U.S. men over 40 found that those who used ED drugs were more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases than were non-users.
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The first paragraph promises something interesting. Higher rates among users of ED drugs implies that those guys are going out and finding a lot more sexual partners. Rates 2-3 times higher than those not using the drug. The implication is that those that tale ED may be having a lot more unprotected sex after being prescribed the drug than they were before getting Viagra.
But then you run across this, buried in the next to last paragraph:
The final study group included about 40,000 men who used ED drugs and nearly 1.37 million who did not. In both the year before and the year after the first ED drug prescription, users had significantly higher rates of STDs than non-users did in matching time periods.
The guys who took ED had higher rates of STDs the year before they ever took any ED! Taking the ED did not apparently lead to more STDs. They were already involved in a lot of unprotected sex before they ever took any ED.
So, rather than there being any sort of connection between ED and STD, which is what the title implies, this study actually indicates that the people who want ED are a self-selected group of people that will have higher STD rates. There is a connection between the men who want ED and STDs, most likely not because of the ED but because of the men. The ED prescriptions just make it easier to identify these men who like a lot of unprotected sex.
If you want to find a group of men who have higher rates of STD, simply look for those who take ED. These are the ones to preach about unprotected sex.
