Private MD News

Seniors urged to consider STD testing

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

More seniors may want to consider STD testing, as new evidence shows that older individuals are more sexually active than ever. This increases their chances of contracting an infection like chlamydia or herpes.

Rachel von Simson of King's College in London recently wrote an editorial in the journal Student BMJ in which she pointed out that physicians may be reluctant to suspect seniors of suffering from an STD, even when their symptoms are identical to those of common infections.

Because of this lack of awareness and rising rates of STDs among seniors, von Simson wrote that physicians need to be more attuned to the possibility that their patients could have an infection. She pointed to statistics showing that more than 80 percent of individuals between the ages of 50 and 90 are sexually active. STD rates among this group have doubled over the last 10 years.

Just because the majority of positive STD tests are seen in teens and young adults does not mean that older individuals are not at risk. Any sexually active person has a certain level of risk and should consider talking to a doctor if they begin experiencing symptoms associated with STDs.