STDs jumped nearly a quarter among seniors during the pandemic
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Diagnoses of sexually transmitted diseases jumped nearly 24% among seniors ages 65 and older during the pandemic, new data provided first to Axios by FAIR Health shows.
Why it matters: The data points to the need for conversations about the risks of STDs — which can mimic other age-related conditions — with older patients.
What they found: Sexually transmitted disease diagnoses overall rose roughly 5% among commercially insured patients from 2020 to 2023, according to an analysis of FAIR Health's repository of 47 billion commercial health care claim records.
- Patients aged 65 and older saw the largest increase (24%) in STD diagnoses during that period, per the claims, which include people covered by Medicare Advantage plans.
- The next largest increase (about 16%) occurred among patients aged 55 to 64.
- The findings are consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data that has indicated a rise in STDs among adults 55 and older between 2012 and 2022.
By the numbers: The STD that saw the biggest jump in diagnoses among all adults was syphilis (29%) followed by gonorrhea (17%) and HIV/AIDS (14%).
- Among seniors, the STD that had the largest increase was human papillomavirus (32.2%).
- There was a 59% uptick in the number of male patients with gonorrhea, while the number of female patients with the same diagnosis fell by about 19%.
- The number of female patients with syphilis jumped almost 47% compared with a roughly 23% increase in male patients.
