Therapists warn of an increase in cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis
LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, October 24 (EUROPE PRESS) –
Therapists warned this Thursday of an increase in cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia, including LGV, and syphilis, while a decrease in HIV cases is observed thanks to preventive therapy.
This was revealed during the round table “Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV Infection”, moderated by Dr. Eva Orviz García from the Sandoval Health Center of the Madrid Clinical Hospital, at the 45th National Congress of Internal Medicine and 19 th Congress. Canarian Society of Internal Medicine (SOCAMI), Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (SEMI), which takes place in the south of Gran Canaria from October 24 to 26.
They currently noted that, according to the National Notifiable Diseases Registry (EDO), the “most common” sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Spain are gonorrhea, chlamydia (including LGV) and syphilis. They add that in the last decade, Spain has seen an increase in the incidence of all of them among men and women, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this regard, Dr. Jorge Del Romero Guerrero, Medical Director of the Sandoval Medical Center of the Madrid Clinical Hospital, made a presentation “Sexually transmitted infections. Chemsex,” where he noted that “not all” drug use in sexual relationships is considered chemsex, the convention organization said in a press release.
Chemsex, although there is no clear scientific consensus on its definition, is defined as “the intentional use of drugs, mainly mephedrone (or other synthetic cathinones), methamphetamine and GHB/GBL, as well as other substances (often in polydrug abuse) to maintain sexual activity.” . relationships, usually in groups (sessions, chills) over a long period of time (hours to days) in the socio-cultural context of an LGBTI collective.”
Although chemsex consumption varies depending on the region where it is practiced, the most commonly used substances include mephedrone (“mephe”), which belongs to the synthetic cathinone pharmacological family. These substances are chemically modified to evade international controls, resulting in more than 220 variants, some of them Alpha-PVP or Alpha-PiHP, which are “10 times more potent” than cocaine .
The use of methamphetamine (“tina”) and GHB/GBL (“chorry”) is also widespread. There is also associated use of other substances such as ketamine, cocaine, tussie (or pink cocaine) or popper and others. They add that drug use “often” involves the use of erection enhancers, especially sildenafil.
In this regard, Dr. Romero noted that the experience of the Sandoval Center in Madrid shows that currently “mephedrone (synthetic cathinones) is the most common substance,” followed by GHB and popper. It also finds an increase in intravenous drug use (especially mephedrone and methamphetamine), a phenomenon known as “popping” or “popping”. In Sandoval, he adds, the prevalence of slamming has “increased significantly” in recent years.
As for people who practice chemsex, the “vast majority” are men who have sex with men (MSM) and trans women (most of them sex workers), so he noted that “it’s a very fragmented LGBT phenomenon.” team.”
REDUCES RISK PERCEPTION
On the other hand, he clarified that drug use, which by its very nature involves “disinhibition,” as well as “a reduced perception of the risk of contracting an STI.”
“In recent years, the high preventative effectiveness of HIV transmission demonstrated by ART and PrEP has reduced the perception of risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV and, as a result, condom use has significantly decreased among MSM. This has led to a decrease in HIV diagnoses at the Sandoval Center and a steady increase in cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia/LGV and syphilis,” he noted.
Regarding “flapping” or “flapping” and “fisting” (inserting a hand into the rectum), practices closely associated with chemsex, he noted that they “facilitate” the transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV), since In Sandoval, “overwhelmingly Most diagnoses of acute hepatitis C are made to MSM and chemsex users, some of them are related to this practice.
In contrast, hepatitis B diagnoses are “rare” and are made mainly to unvaccinated migrants. “Stroke” is associated with “multiple complications” such as cellulitis, phlebitis or abscesses.
In any case, he clarified that “not all” substances used in chemsex are equally harmful to health, although episodes of acute intoxication “can put people’s lives at risk, especially with the use of GHB, which has a very narrow safety margin and in the event of an overdose or multiple the use of other depressants (alcohol, ketamine) can cause acute intoxication, which can be fatal.
Similarly, it has been stated that chemsex also carries mental health risks, either due to the onset of sudden mental distress or exacerbation of pre-existing underlying pathology, and complications associated with anxiety and depression, including suicidal thoughts and behavior, have been observed. “Stroke precipitates and worsens psychotic symptoms and increases the incidence of serious psychiatric complications,” he said.
They also point out the social and legal implications associated with chemsex, as it also affects the family, work and social environment of each individual. The main crimes associated with the practice of chemsex are against public health (due to the possession and trafficking of drugs) and against sexual freedom, since “we must not forget that chemsex is present in the practice of chemsex” and can cause addiction, especially among young habitual users .
Finally, he points out that a “comprehensive therapeutic approach” to patients with problematic drug use “must be multidisciplinary,” indicating that future challenges include “increasing accessibility” of the health care system and reducing administrative barriers, early detection of HIV, HCV and other STIs ( opportunistic screening), wide availability of PrEP and ART, universal and immediate.