New data show that diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been increasing in recent years, especially among older Americans.
The data from FairHealth found a 4.8 percent increase in patients diagnosed with an STD from 2020 to 2023. The age group 65 and older saw the largest increase during this period, with a 23.8 percent increase in STD diagnoses.
Axios, who was the first to report about the new figures, noted that the data in accordance with the findings Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the number of diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections among adults aged 55 and older increased between 2012 and 2022.
The next largest increase was among 55- to 64-year-olds, who saw a 16.2 percent jump in STD diagnoses. Patients aged 45 to 54 saw a 7.6 percent increase, while those aged 35 to 44 saw an 8.6 percent increase.
The only age groups that saw a decline in diagnoses were 18 and under and 19 to 24 year olds.
Overall, the data showed that syphilis was the fastest growing diagnosis across all age groups between 2020 and 2023. There was a 29 percent increase in syphilis diagnoses, an almost 17 percent increase for gonorrhea, and an increase of about 14 percent for HIV and AIDS.
The data also shows that human papillomavirus (HPV) diagnoses increased by 32 percent among people aged 65 and older.
