WEDNESDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Older men may have an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections after losing a spouse, especially if they take medications for erectile dysfunction, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in the American Journal of Public Health.
Kirsten P. Smith, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues assessed data on 420,790 Medicare-eligible couples who were 67 to 99 years of age in 1993.
During the nine-year study period, the researchers found that 21 percent of the men and 43 percent of the women were widowed, and that the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections was low (0.65 percent of men and 0.97 percent of women). However, they found that loss of a spouse was associated with an increased risk of a sexually transmitted infection only in men, usually within 0.5 to one year of their wife's death. They also found that the risk was elevated in men who lost a spouse after the 1998 introduction of sildenafil.
"This study provides support for the notion that clinicians need to be more aware of the possibility of sexually transmitted infections in older patients and to address sexual health issues with them, including obtaining sexual histories, when appropriate," the authors conclude. "This is particularly the case for older male patients who have lost a spouse, especially if they are taking drugs for erectile dysfunction. Additionally, more data collection and research is needed on the impact of relationship status, transitions into widowhood, and the availability and use of erectile dysfunction medications on the sexual health of older individuals."
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