ArticlePloS one2018
Synthetic drug use and HIV infection among men who have sex with men in China: A sixteen-city, cross-sectional survey.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sexualized Drug Use Linked to Higher HIV Testing Frequency Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Three Chinese Cities with High HIV Prevalence.Substance use & misuse · 2026Article
- Poppers use, adherence to antiretroviral therapy and risky sexual behaviors among HIV-positive men who have sex with men in Chongqing, China.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision and Incident HIV Infection Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in China (The CoM Study): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
- Spatiotemporal dynamics of HIV-1 CRF63_02A6 sub-epidemic.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- Nitrite inhalants use, sexual behaviors and HIV/syphilis infection among men who have sex with men in Chongqing, China.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2020Article
- Epidemics of HIV Infection among Heavy Drug Users of Depressants Only, Stimulants Only, and Both Depressants and Stimulants in Mainland China: A Series, Cross-Sectional Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionIncreasing evidence suggests an association between synthetic drug use and HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM). The aim of this study was to evaluate synthetic drug use prevalence, describe characteristics of synthetic drug users, and investigate whether synthetic drug use is associated with HIV infection among Chinese MSM.
methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in 16 Chinese cities among males >18 years old who reported having had sex with men in the prior 3 months, but did not already have a known HIV-positive serostatus. Participants were grouped according to lifetime synthetic drug use and characteristics were compared using Chi-square test. Determinants of HIV infection were assessed using univariate and multivariate regression.
resultsAmong 3,135 participants, 1,249 reported lifetime synthetic drug use, for a prevalence of 39.8%. Nearly all users (96.3%) reported using inhaled alkyl nitrites ("poppers"). Synthetic drug users were more likely to be younger (<30 years, p<0.001), single (p<0.001), and more educated (p<0.001), and were more likely to engage in higher risk sexual behavior compared to non-drug users. Overall HIV prevalence was 7.8% (246/3,135). However, prevalence among synthetic drug users was 10.6% (132/246) compared to 6.0% (114/246) for non-drug users (p<0.001). Factors associated with an increased odds of HIV infection included inconsistent condom use with male partners (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.64-2.91) and synthetic drug use (adjusted OR = 2.04, CI = 1.56-2.70).
conclusionPrevalence of synthetic drug use, especially poppers use, prevalence was high in our study, and users had 2-fold greater odds of HIV acquisition. It is clear that there is an urgent need for increased prevention, testing, and treatment interventions for this key, dual-risk population in China. Moreover, we call on the Chinese Government to consider regulating poppers so that users can be properly warned about their associated risks.
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