The profile of sexually transmitted infections of men who have sex with men: A tertiary care center-based comparative cross-sectional study

Very few studies have compared the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and risk factors particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM) with the non-MSM group. (1) To compare the profile of STIs among MSM and non-MSM attending our STI clinic, (2) To identify the risk factors for STIs among MSM. In this comparative cross-sectional study, we analyzed the records of all male attendees of our STI clinic from March 2015 to March 2020 for demographic details, sexual history, clinical examination and laboratory findings. Chi-square test and logistic regression were utilized in analysis. The number of both MSM and non-MSM attending the clinic increased over 5 years with a more sharp increase in the number of MSM, after 2017. 68.9% of MSM had their first sexual contact before attaining 20 years of age. The most common STIs were syphilis (53.75%), genital warts (30%) and herpes genitalis (20.62%). Syphilis was the most frequent STI among MSM (48/74, 64.90%) as well as non-MSM (38/86, 44.20%); though its frequency was significantly more among MSM ( < 0.01). Being unmarried (odds ratio [OR] = 3.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.85-6.93, < 0.01), having more than two sexual partners (OR = 4.49, 95% CI = 2.12-9.50, < 0.01), practising peno-oral sex (OR = 4.74, 95% CI = 2.33-9.62, < 0.01) and peno-anal sex (OR = 19, CI = 8.55-42.38, < 0.01) were significantly associated with MSM behavior. There was an increasing trend of MSM attending the STI clinic from the year 2017. MSM persons are likely to be younger, unmarried, and have more than two sex partners. The commonest STI among MSM was syphilis.