Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29368440›Full record

ArticleHIV medicine2018

Sexualized drug use ('chemsex') and high-risk sexual behaviours in HIV-positive men who have sex with men.

E L Pufall, M Kall, M Shahmanesh, A Nardone, R Gilson, V Delpech, H Ward, Positive Voices study group

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Article in HIV medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 94 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
94citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

94 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Chemsex and childhood trauma: evidence from a explorative matched case-control analysis.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026
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  14. An online study to understand chemsex in India.Indian journal of psychiatry · 2025
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34 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

E L PufallDepartment of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK.
M KallHIV and STI Surveillance Department, Public Health England, London, UK.
M ShahmaneshDepartment of Infection and Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
A NardoneHIV and STI Surveillance Department, Public Health England, London, UK.
R GilsonDepartment of Infection and Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
V DelpechHIV and STI Surveillance Department, Public Health England, London, UK.
H WardDepartment of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Positive Voices study group

Funding

Department of Health
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV infection remains high in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the UK, and sexualized drug use ("chemsex") and injecting drug use ("slamsex") may play a part in this. We aimed to characterize HIV-positive MSM engaging in chemsex/slamsex and to assess the associations with self-reported STI diagnoses and sexual behaviours.

methodsData from a 2014 survey of people attending HIV clinics in England and Wales were linked to clinical data from national HIV surveillance records and weighted to be nationally representative. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the associations of chemsex and slamsex with self-reported unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), serodiscordant UAI (sdUAI) (i.e. UAI with an HIV-negative or unknown HIV status partner), sdUAI with a detectable viral load (>50 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL), hepatitis C, and bacterial STIs.

resultsIn the previous year, 29.5% of 392 sexually active participants engaged in chemsex, and 10.1% in slamsex. Chemsex was significantly associated with increased odds of UAI [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 5.73; P < 0.001], sdUAI (AOR 2.34; P < 0.05), sdUAI with a detectable viral load (AOR 3.86; P < 0.01), hepatitis C (AOR 6.58; P < 0.01), and bacterial STI diagnosis (AOR 2.65; P < 0.01). Slamsex was associated with increased odds of UAI (AOR 6.11; P < 0.05), hepatitis C (AOR 9.39; P < 0.001), and bacterial STI diagnosis (AOR 6.11; P < 0.001).

conclusionsThree in ten sexually active HIV-positive MSM engaged in chemsex in the past year, which was positively associated with self-reported depression/anxiety, smoking, nonsexual drug use, risky sexual behaviours, STIs, and hepatitis C. Chemsex may therefore play a role in the ongoing HIV and STI epidemics in the UK.

Indexed as

AdultAge DistributionCross-Sectional StudiesHealth Risk BehaviorsHIV InfectionsHomosexuality, MaleHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedRisk FactorsSelf ReportSexual BehaviorSubstance-Related DisordersUnited KingdomYoung Adulthepatitis CHIV transmissionmen who have sex with menrecreational drugssexually transmitted infections

Identifiers

PMID29368440
PMCPMC5900961

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.