What to Know About Rising STD Rates Among Seniors

A recent Athena Health analysis found persons older than 60 account for the biggest increase of in-office treatments for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), reports U.S. News & World Report . Their diagnosis rates for herpes simplex, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, trichomoniasis, and chlamydia climbed 23 percent between 2014 and 2017 versus an 11 percent increase among the entire population over age 13. Florida State University Professor Lisa Granville notes this increase is "more prevalent in men than women, and especially with men having sex with men." But she cautions that "everyone who is older is at increased risk." According to University of Chicago Professor Stacy Lindau, the elevation in gonorrhea rates is particularly troubling "because the medications we've used in the past to treat gonorrhea are proving less and less effective" due to antibiotic resistance. Experts agree curbing the incidence of senior STD infections depends on education and communication, both between sexual partners and between healthcare recipients and medical providers.