V: Sexual Orientation and Mortality Among US Men Aged 17 to 59 Years

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a well-documented group at elevated risk for HIV infection.1 Indeed, estimates suggest that 9 % to 27 % of gay and bisexual men and MSM in the United States are currently living with HIV infection.2--5 Further, recently released statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-vention indicate that the rate of new HIV di-agnoses among MSM is more than 44 times that of heterosexual men.6 Although mortality risk has decreased substantially since the introduc-tion of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) around 1996,7--10 HIV infection re-mains a potentially fatal disease.11 In addition, population-based surveys over the last decad