Young men with detectable levels of the human immunodeficiency virus who have sex with men are more likely to have anal sex without a condom, including sex with a partner who does not have the virus, according to research published in JAMA Pediatrics. Share on Pinterest Certain subgroups of men who have sex with men show a tendency for more risky behavior. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to affect men who have sex with men (MSM) more than other populations in the US. Recent data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that the HIV epidemic is growing among MSM, while remaining relatively stable in heterosexual populations. Young MSM, or YMSM, aged 13-29 years, are particularly vulnerable to HIV, accounting for more than 25% of new infections in the US, and more than 70% of all new HIV infections among youths. Black YMSM are disproportionately affected, accounting for 61% of all new HIV infections in the US in 2009. Young transgender women are also at risk, with more than 20% of new HIV cases reported in this subgroup.

Methods and aims of HIV treatment HIV testing, antiretroviral treatment, adherence and viral suppression among YMSM with HIV play a key role in preventing new infections. Treatment for HIV aims to decrease the level of virus in the blood to an undetectable viral load. If a person has a detectable viral load, this means the amount of virus in the blood is high enough to be reliably detected; a cut-off point is fixed, below which the virus is said to be undetectable. It is thought that behavioral approaches, together with interventions to reduce risky sexual behaviors, could help improve rates of engagement in care and adherence to medication. Risky sexual behavior includes condomless anal intercourse (CAI). Patrick A. Wilson, PhD, of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York, and coauthors examined differences in demographic and psychosocial factors between YMSM with and without a detectable viral load for HIV. The team also looked at psychosocial factors associated with CAI and CAI among YMSM with detectable viral load. The authors studied 991 YMSM with a detectable viral load, aged 15-26, at 20 adolescent HIV clinics in the US from 2009-12.