Ted Rosen, MD discusses highlights from his lecture on Updates in Dermatology at the 2021 Elevate-Derm Conference.
In this video
In this quick post-lecture interview, Dr. Rosen tackles the STD questions clinicians actually wonder about. He notes that roughly 20% of the entire US adult population is walking around with an STD, with rates peaking at ages 15 to 24 — but he stresses that you should "never exclude the diagnosis of STDs, no matter how old you are," pointing to a case of a 78-year-old with syphilis. After six straight years of double-digit percentile rises, rates appeared to keep climbing early in 2020 before seemingly dropping — though he's candid that the decline may be an artifact of data not being collected, since only 8% of city or county STD clinics were functioning normally and 25% closed entirely during the pandemic.
On whether COVID spreads through sexual contact, he stays honest and equivocal: studies are contradictory, with some finding no virus in secretions including semen and a Chinese study suggesting otherwise — so protection remains the safe call. He closes on a lighter note, explaining that the popularity of grooming and near-total pubic hair removal is eliminating the habitat for pubic lice, potentially driving the species toward extinction.
- About 20% of US adults are living with an STD, with rates peaking at ages 15 to 24.
- Never rule out an STD based on age — Dr. Rosen highlighted a 78-year-old patient with syphilis.
- STD rates rose by double-digit percentages for six years; the apparent 2020 dip may reflect closed clinics and missing data, not fewer infections.
- Whether COVID transmits through sexual contact is still unresolved — studies conflict, so protection is advised.
- Widespread pubic hair removal is eliminating the habitat for pubic lice, threatening the species.
