Predictors of serological cure and serofast state after treatment in HIV-negative patients with early syphilis in China

摘要

Syphilis is a spirochetal infection with multiple manifestations. In recent years, syphilis has re-emerged as a significant public health problem in many countries including China.1 However, the factors that predict serological response after syphilis treatment have not been well-defined. We performed a retrospective study of patients who -were diagnosed as having early syphilis in our clinic between the years 2000 and 2010. Analysis of factors determining the serological response to treatment was performed in HIV-negative patients with early syphilis, using demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics (i.e., sex, age, residence, coinfection with other STDs, baseline rapid plasma reagin (RPR) titre, fluorescent trepo-nemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) IgM, syphilis stage and treatment), and behavioural characteristics (i.e., sexual orientation, number of sex partners and condom use). Serological cure was defined as a negative RPR test or a >4-fold decreased titre at 6 months after treatment, and serofast status was defined as a <2-fold decreased titre or persistent titres that did not meet criteria for treatment failure.