Exploring the attitudes of men who have sex with men on anal self-examination for early detection of primary anorectal syphilis: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Studies show men who have sex with men (MSM) practising receptive anal sex are more likely to present with secondary syphilis, suggesting anorectal primary lesions are being missed. Regular anal self-examination might be able to detect anorectal syphilis lesions, hence potentially reducing transmission. This study aimed to explore the attitudes of MSM on performing anal self-examination to detect primary syphilis.

Methods

In this qualitative study, 20 MSM over 18 years of age were purposively sampled from a sexual health clinic to participate in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and data analysed thematically.

Results

Four major themes and 12 sub-themes were generated from the study: (1) reasons for performing anal s

SUBMITTER: Aung ET 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8453991 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature