Older men on Viagra have twice the STD rate as non-medicated peers
The rates of sexually transmitted disease are soaring among older adults, according to a new report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which shows that those taking erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra have a rate twice as high as those who forego the drugs. While younger adults still have more STDs, “the rates are growing at far higher rates in older adults,” lead author Dr. Anupam B. Jena told Reuters. Divorce and better health are probably contributing factors, but it also seems that older adults ignore safe sex practices. Men aged 50 are six times less likely to use a condom than men in their 20s. The study looked at insurance records of more than 1.4 million US men over 40, with the average age of 60. The most commonly found STD was HIV, followed by chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea.