{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T03:02:43Z","timestamp":1777518163045,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"CSIRO Publishing","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,5]],"date-time":"2025-05-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746403200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":1515,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Anal symptoms may indicate serious pathology. Receptive anal intercourse (RAI) and sexually transmissible infections (STIs) may contribute to a higher prevalence of symptoms among gay and bisexual men (GBM). This study investigated associations with anal symptoms among GBM. Methods: The Study of the Prevention of Anal Cancer was a longitudinal study of anal human papillomavirus and related lesions in Sydney, Australia. GBM aged \u226535 years were recruited from community settings between September 2010 and August 2015. Information about anal symptoms (discharge, itch, pain defecating, lump, bleeding, \u2018sores\u2019, tearing, tenesmus), STIs and sexual behaviours was collected. High-resolution anoscopy (HRA) and STI testing were performed. Logistic regression analyses on baseline data were performed to assess associations with each symptom. Results: Among 616 participants (median age 49 years, 35.9% HIV positive), 35.3% reported at least one anal symptom within the past week and 65.3% were diagnosed with fistula, fissure, ulcer, warts, haemorrhoids and\/or perianal dermatoses at HRA. Anal symptoms were not associated with anal chlamydia, gonorrhoea, warts or syphilis. Self-reported \u2018sores\u2019 were associated with previous anal herpes simplex virus (HSV; P &amp;lt; 0.001). \u2018Sores\u2019 (P &amp;lt; 0.001), itch (P = 0.019), discharge (P = 0.032) and lump (P = 0.028) were independently associated with ulceration. Among participants diagnosed with fissure, fistulae, haemorrhoids and perianal dermatoses, 61.9%, 100%, 62.0% and 63.9% respectively were asymptomatic. Only self-reported anal tear was independently associated with recent RAI. Conclusions: Previous anal HSV was the only STI associated with any symptom. Anal pathology was highly prevalent, but often asymptomatic. Anal symptoms do not appear to be useful markers of most anal pathology in GBM.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1071\/sh20104","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,14]],"date-time":"2022-03-14T21:01:08Z","timestamp":1647291668000},"page":"123-129","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Self-reported anal symptoms and their association with anal pathology among gay and bisexual men: a cross-sectional observational analysis"],"prefix":"10.1071","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9031-3590","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sian L.","family":"Goddard","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"AHIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Level 6,Wallace Wurth Building, High Street, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia."},{"name":"BInfection and Immunity, Ambrose King Centre, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, E1 2BB, UK."},{"name":"MCorresponding author. Email: sgoddard@kirby.unsw.edu.au"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"I. Mary","family":"Poynten","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AHIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Level 6,Wallace Wurth Building, High Street, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kathy","family":"Petoumenos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CBiostatistics and Databases Program, The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fengyi","family":"Jin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AHIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Level 6,Wallace Wurth Building, High Street, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Richard J.","family":"Hillman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"DDysplasia and Anal Cancer Services, HIV Immunology and Infectious Disease Department, St Vincent\u2019s Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carmella","family":"Law","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"DDysplasia and Anal Cancer Services, HIV Immunology and Infectious Disease Department, St Vincent\u2019s Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jennifer M.","family":"Roberts","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ECytology Department, Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology, Sydney, NSW 2113, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Christopher K.","family":"Fairley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"FCentral Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic. 3044, Australia."},{"name":"GMelbourne Sexual Health Centre, Melbourne, Vic. 3053, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Suzanne M.","family":"Garland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"HCentre for Women\u2019s infectious Diseases, Royal Women\u2019s Hospital, Melbourne, Vic. 3052, Australia."},{"name":"IInfection Immunity, Murdoch Children\u2019s Research Institute, Parkville, Vic. 3052, Australia."},{"name":"JDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. 3052, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrew E.","family":"Grulich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AHIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Level 6,Wallace Wurth Building, High Street, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"David J.","family":"Templeton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AHIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Level 6,Wallace Wurth Building, High Street, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia."},{"name":"KDepartment of Sexual Health Medicine and Sexual Assault Medicine, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia."},{"name":"LSydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"on behalf of the Study of the Prevention of Anal Cancer (SPANC) Research Team","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"67","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025102419103568400_R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"78","DOI":"10.1186\/s12875-017-0649-6","article-title":"Prevalence of anal symptoms in general practice: a prospective study.","volume":"18","author":"Tournu","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMC Fam Pract"},{"key":"2025102419103568400_R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"879","DOI":"10.1177\/0956462413486776","article-title":"Size of anal squamous cell carcinomas at 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