Methamphetamine Use Increasingly Prominent in Rise of Syphilis Cases

Cases of syphilis have been rising considerably among women and heterosexual men in recent years, and increasing methamphetamine use is being cited as one of the major contributing factors. Data published last week in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report include the finding that the percentage of persons with primary and secondary syphilis who reported past-year methamphetamine use rose from 6.2% to 16.6% among women from 2013-2017.

In the same period, past-year meth use among men with syphilis who had sex only with women in the past year increased from 5% to 13.3%, according to the analysis. By contrast, the prevalence of meth use among men with syphilis who have sex with men (MSM) dropped from 9.2% to 8% from 2013-2017. Overall, the majority of syphilis cases in the U.S. in 2017 occurred in the MSM population.

The CDC's report emphasizes that substance use disorder treatment providers and sexually transmitted disease (STD) control programs need to collaborate in order to address recent increases in heterosexual syphilis transmission.

“Pilot projects have demonstrated the feasibility and benefit of implementing substance use disorder interventions in STD clinics,” the report states. “STD programs should consider partnering with substance use disorder prevention and treatment programs and other organizations that provide services to persons who use drugs in the local community.”

The data show that among women and heterosexual men with primary and secondary syphilis, use of heroin and other injection drugs also doubled in the 2013-2017 period.