Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Gay bowel syndrome

(Science: syndrome) Obsolete umbrella term referring to a variety of gastrointestinal disorders experienced by homosexual males. Coined in 1976 to refer to proctitis in homosexual men caused by a variety of infectious agents, including enteric bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi, spread by anal sex and oro-anal transmission. Usage subsequently expanded to include anorectal cancers, trauma, and other conditions. The separate conditions falling under the umbrella were neither restricted to the bowel nor unique to the homosexual male patient population. As a result, the term has been abandoned as outdated and potentially perjorative by a number of professional medical organizations including the CDC.