The Disease of All Times: A Retrospective Study of 272 Syphilis Cases

Tülay Ünver Ulusoy; Aslı Haykır Solay; Hacer Demirköse; Semanur Kuzi; Can Huseyin Hekımoglu; İrfan Şencan

doi:10.31067/acusaglik.1269980

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The Disease of All Times: A Retrospective Study of 272 Syphilis Cases

Year 2024, , 8 - 14, 31.01.2024

Tülay Ünver Ulusoy , Aslı Haykır Solay Hacer Demirköse , Semanur Kuzi Can Huseyin Hekımoglu , İrfan Şencan

https://doi.org/10.31067/acusaglik.1269980

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the changes in our syphilis cases over the years, their demographic and clinical characteristics, and their laboratory findings.
Methods: The study included patients diagnosed with syphilis between 2018 and 2022 at a tertiary hospital's Dermatology and Infectious Diseases (ID) outpatient clinics. Patients'; demographic, clinical, and laboratory data evaluated at the time of diagnosis. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 20.0 program was used to analyze the data.
Results: A total of 272 syphilis cases were included in the study. Among these cases, 82.4% were male, and 39.6% were 41–60 years old. In total, 7.4% were anti-HIV, and 2.9% were positive for HBsAg. The rates of the cases diagnosed at primary and secondary stages were 74.4%. Syphilis cases were detected more in 2018 than in other years (except 2020) and fewer in 2022 than in other years (p< 0.001). Anti-HIV positive cases were diagnosed more frequently at ID outpatient clinics, and cases with clinical findings were diagnosed more at dermatology outpatient clinics (p< 0.001). The rate of sexual partners not tested for syphilis was significantly higher in males than in females (p= 0.027). The rates of syphilis cases in the study and Turkey as a whole were similar in 2018–2019 but significantly different in 2020-2021-2022 (p< 0.001).
Conclusion: Reporting syphilis is essential to identify the at-risk population prevent complications, and reduce transmission. Monitoring the profile of syphilis cases admitted to the hospital can increase the detection rate of syphilis cases.

Keywords

syphilis, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, detection rate

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DOI: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001502