Yes, the information came in recently from a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine that showed that men who used drugs for erectile dysfunction (ED) had a higher rate of STDs. Lots of media outlets jumped on the bandwagon with the story: Drugs for Erectile Dysfunction Lead to Higher Rates of STDs in Seniors.
However, reading the abstract reveals that, although these men DID have higher rates of STDs after a year of using the ED drugs, these men had a higher rate of STDs before starting the drugs than men who never used the drugs at all. In fact, more than twice as many men in the ED drug group had STDs before initiating ED therapy. HIV was the most common STD in this group, followed by chlamydia.
When the "before ED therapy" and "after starting ED therapy" data was analyzed, there was no difference in the rates, meaning that the picture painted by some media sources of seniors popping viagra and suddenly leading to a new surge in the rates of STDs was simply inaccurate.
An accurate statement is that men who use drugs for ED have a higher rate of STDs - both before they start using the drugs and afterwards. This is not to say that this is okay - seniors need to practice safe sex, just like everyone else (and some studies show that they are less likely to do so).
Read more on the subject of safe sex for the older person: Seniors Underestimate Sex Risk
