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Xie JW, Guo YF, Wang M, Tong ML, Zhu XZ, Lin LR. Syphilis susceptibility factors atlas: A wide-angled Mendelian randomization study. Prev Med 2024; 185:108033. [PMID: 38851401 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.108033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The pathogenic mechanisms of syphilis and the host defense mechanisms against syphilis remain poorly understood. Exploration of the susceptibility factors of syphilis may provide crucial clues for unraveling its underlying mechanisms. METHODS A two-sample Mendelian Randomization framework was utilized, and the inverse-variance weighted method was used as the main analysis. All data was sourced from Genome-wide association studies datasets from 2015 to 2022 in Europe, and all participants were of European descent. Only summary-level statistics were used. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the heterogeneity and pleiotropy of the datasets. RESULTS Our study established 18 exposure factors (12 risk factors and 6 protective factors) for syphilis susceptibility. Twelve factors encompassing body mass index, waist circumference, darker natural skin, cooked vegetable intake, processed meat intake, diabetes mellitus, glucose regulation disorders, gout, autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, diverticulitis, and longer menstrual cycles were found to increase susceptibility to syphilis. In contrast, 6 factors including easier skin tanning, blonde natural hair color, irritability, higher neuroticism scores, extended sleep duration, and delayed age at first sexual intercourse were connected to a reduced risk of syphilis infection (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study identified 18 influencing factors of syphilis susceptibility. These findings offered novel insights for further probing into the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of syphilis and underscored the importance of multifaceted prevention strategies against syphilis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Wen Xie
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Institute of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yin-Feng Guo
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Institute of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Mao Wang
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Institute of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Man-Li Tong
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Institute of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xiao-Zhen Zhu
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Institute of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Li-Rong Lin
- Center of Clinical Laboratory, Zhongshan Hospital Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Institute of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
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Lokpo SY, Owusu-Dabo E, Deku JG, Orish VN, Kye-Duodu G, Ussher FA, Boakye T, Adigbli D, Ameke LS, Fianko WK, Adedze-Kpodo R, Letsa HK, Tashie W, Gbormittah NS, Kpene GE, Osei-Yeboah J. A Comparative Study of the Epidemiology of Treponemal Infection in the Volta and Oti Regions of Ghana: A Five-Year Multisite Parallel Population-Based Analysis vis-à-vis the Sentinel Survey. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:4462389. [PMID: 34796232 PMCID: PMC8595007 DOI: 10.1155/2021/4462389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Treponemal infections can be blood-borne with great public health consequences. This study is aimed at comparatively describing the five-year (2013-2017) regional epidemiology of treponemal infection using pregnant women in the sentinel survey and apparently healthy blood donors as a proxy for the general population at four sentinel sites in the Volta and Oti Regions of Ghana. We analyzed retrospective data from 17,744 prospective blood donors aged 18 to 58 years and 7,817 pregnant women in a sentinel survey with ages from 15 to 49 years at Hohoe, Ho, Tongu, and Krachi West sentinel sites in the Volta and Oti Regions. Laboratory data extracted include variables such as age, gender, date of blood donation, and Treponema pallidum chromatographic immunoassay results from the blood banks of the four study sites. The five-year treponemal infection rate among the pregnant women in the sentinel survey and prospective blood donors was 0.79% and 2.38%, respectively. Site-specific infection rate for population-based/sentinel survey was 4.6%/1.1%, 2.0%/0.5%, 1.3%/1.1, and 1.2%/0.3% for Hohoe, Ho, Krachi West, and Tongu, respectively. Significant gender disparity in Treponemal infection rate exists with a male preponderance. The regional infection rate in the sentinel survey is lower compared to the general population. Therefore, the use of pregnant women as a proxy for population estimates could underestimate the burden in the study jurisdiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvester Yao Lokpo
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - Ellis Owusu-Dabo
- School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - John Gameli Deku
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - Verner Ndudiri Orish
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - Gideon Kye-Duodu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - Francis Abeku Ussher
- Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences, Koforidua Technical University, Koforidua, Ghana
| | - Thomas Boakye
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - Daniel Adigbli
- Laboratory Department, Krachi West District Hospital, Krachi, Ghana
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Godsway Edem Kpene
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - James Osei-Yeboah
- School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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Liu Y, Bian QQ, Zhang SH, Wang J, Wang ZM, Li JY. Post-treatment serological changes in some patients with early syphilis exhibit a parabolic trend. Int J STD AIDS 2019; 30:1389-1396. [PMID: 31744395 DOI: 10.1177/0956462419871855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Early syphilis accounts for a large proportion of patients with syphilis. Non- Treponema pallidum tests are commonly used to assess treatment effectiveness by analyzing the serological titer before treatment and six months after treatment. However, serological changes during the first three months after completion of treatment have not been completely understood. This prompted us to investigate whether serum titers of patients exhibit a continuous decrease post-treatment and to assess the trend of change in serological titer during this period. One hundred and seventy-three eligible patients with early syphilis were included in the analysis. Pre-treatment serological titers and those at three and six months post-treatment were compared and analyzed. Serological recovery was defined as a 4-fold or greater decrease in titer from pre-treatment level. Forty patients (23.1%) were found to have an increased serum titer at three months after treatment. Among the 40 patients, 13 patients had primary syphilis, 5 patients had secondary syphilis, and 22 patients had early latent syphilis. The proportion of patients with primary syphilis was higher, and their initial titers were significantly lower. No significant differences were observed with respect to age, gender, or initial treatment. The assessment results of 17 patients (9.8% of the total patients) change. Serological changes in some patients exhibit a parabolic pattern that may affect the clinician’s assessment of patient recovery. Therefore, more frequent assessment of serological titer might be required within the first six months post-treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Liu
- Department of Dermatology and STD, The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Artificial Cell; Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center of Public Health Ministry, Tianjin, China
| | - Que-Qiao Bian
- Department of Dermatology and STD, The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Artificial Cell; Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center of Public Health Ministry, Tianjin, China
| | - Shu-Huan Zhang
- Department of Dermatology and STD, The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Artificial Cell; Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center of Public Health Ministry, Tianjin, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Dermatology and STD, The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Artificial Cell; Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center of Public Health Ministry, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhen-Ming Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, Tianjin, China
| | - Jun-Yue Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, Tianjin, China
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Matias MDP, Jesus AOD, Resende RG, Caldeira PC, Aguiar MCFD. Diagnosing acquired syphilis through oral lesions: the 12 year experience of an Oral Medicine Center. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol 2019; 86:358-363. [PMID: 30956150 PMCID: PMC9422386 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjorl.2018.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A resurgence of syphilis in Brazil has been reported in recent years. OBJECTIVE With this in mind, the present study sought to investigate the frequency, demographics, and clinical characteristics of patients with acquired syphilis with oral involvement who received medical care at an Oral Medicine Reference Center in a Brazilian Public Hospital. METHODS A retrospective study, spanning a period of 12 years, was performed to identify changing trends in syphilis over time. Medical records from all patients diagnosed with acquired syphilis who received medical care at the Hospital's Oral Medicine Clinic from 2005 to 2016 were reviewed, and the demographic and clinical data were collected. RESULTS A total of 85 patients had been diagnosed with acquired syphilis, with a significant increase in the number of cases over the past 5 years. Patients ranged from 16 to 76 years of age, with a peak in the third and fourth decades. Forty-eight cases affected males (56.5%), while 37 cases affected females (43.5%). Most of the oral lesions appeared as unique ulcers or plaques, with the lips and tongue representing the most affected sites. All cases were positive for Venereal Disease Research Laboratory or Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody Absorption, and treatment was performed with Penicillin G benzathine in most cases (84.7%). CONCLUSION The frequency of oral syphilis has been rising over time and oral lesions may well represent a diagnostic clue; therefore, oral health professionals must be made aware and properly trained in an attempt to develop a high degree of clinical suspicion in the diagnosis of syphilis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Danielle Porto Matias
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Faculdade de Odontologia, Departamento de Cirurgia Oral e Patologia Oral, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Alessandro Oliveira de Jesus
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Faculdade de Odontologia, Departamento de Cirurgia Oral e Patologia Oral, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Patrícia Carlos Caldeira
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Faculdade de Odontologia, Departamento de Cirurgia Oral e Patologia Oral, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Maria Cássia Ferreira de Aguiar
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Faculdade de Odontologia, Departamento de Cirurgia Oral e Patologia Oral, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
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Chumakov EM, Petrova NN, Rassokhin VV. MENTAL DISORDERS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE COMMITMENT TO OBSERVATION IN THE INFECTIONIST IN HIVINFECTED PATIENTS WITH EARLY SYPHILIS. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.22328/2077-9828-2018-10-2-69-80] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
HIV and syphilis have similar epidemiological characteristics which causes a high level of combined infection. Both STDs affect the central nervous system early after infection. Mental disorders occur with a high incidence in HIV-infected patients and patients with syphilis, but data on the effect of combined HIV and syphilis infection on mental disorders are found only in single articles. Objectives. The goal is to study mental disorders and their effect on the commitment to observation in the infectionist in HIV-infected patients with early syphilis. Materials and methods. A comparative study of 148 patients (65 HIV-infected patients with syphilis, 50 patients with syphilis monoinfection, 33 HIV-infected patients, seronegative for syphilis) was carried out. We used clinical, psychopathological, follow-up, psychometric, laboratory and statistical methods of investigation. Results. It was found that mental disorders occur in the majority (83%) of HIV-infected patients with syphilis with the predominance of affective (54%) and addictive (48%) disorders. In HIV-infected patients with early neurosyphilis, psychogenic reactions developed statistically significantly more often than in HIV-infected patients with early syphilis. In contrast, there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of addictive, affective, personality disorders and mental disorders due to organic brain damage in patients with early neurosyphilis and early syphilis in the case of co-infection with HIV infection. Mental disorders due to organic brain damage had a mixed genesis (including infectious) in all cases and were associated and caused by the already existing HIV infection. HIV-infected patients with syphilis, in general, were characterized by the low commitment to observation in the infectionist which were influenced by the following factors: social maladjustment, drug abuse and criminal activity. Discussion. The frequency of detected mental disorders in the examined HIV-infected patients with syphilis (83,1%) corresponded to the literature on the incidence of mental illness in HIVinfected patients inSt. Petersburg(85,6%), but was higher than the prevalence of mental disorders in patients with syphilis (68%). Given the established influence of neurosyphilis mono-infection on the development of mental disorders due to organic brain damage, it can be concluded that the disease with early neurosyphilis is important in the development of mental disorders of organic genesis. But the weight of this factor is insufficient in case of co-infection with HIV and early neurosyphilis and can only have additional significance in the development of mental disorders and the key factor is HIV-infection action. Mental disorders (addictive disorders and cognitive impairment) adversely affect the commitment to observation in the infectionist of HIV-infected patients with syphilis, therefore timely correction of mental disorders may be one of the factors improving compliance of patients. Conclusions. The study found a minor role of early neurosyphilis (as opposed to HIV infection) on the formation of mental disorders in the case of a combination of these infections. At the same time, it was found that addictive and cognitive symptomatic complexes have a negative impact on the probability of reference to an infectious disease specialist for initiating therapy in HIV-infected patients with syphilis.
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Syphilis hospitalisations in Portugal over the last decade. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2015; 35:169-74. [PMID: 26581424 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-015-2524-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Although several studies have reported an increase of syphilis incidence over the last decade in Western Europe, information concerning syphilis epidemiology in Portugal remains scarce. Therefore, we sought to characterise acquired syphilis-associated hospitalisations in Portugal according to demographic and clinical data. We used a database containing all hospitalisations that occurred in mainland Portugal public hospitals with discharges between 2000 and 2014. We analysed all hospitalisations associated with ICD-9-CM codes 091-097.x (corresponding to acquired syphilis diagnosis) concerning inpatients' gender, age and comorbidities. The median length of stay and in-hospital mortality rates were also studied. Between 2000 and 2014, there were a total of 8974 syphilis-related hospitalisations in mainland Portugal. The rate of acquired syphilis hospitalisations per 100,000 inhabitants increased by 33 % during the studied period. Syphilis hospitalisation rates increased by 70 % in males and 139 % among patients aged over 55 years. On the other hand, they declined by 10 % in females and 20 % among patients younger than 55 years old. The percentage of syphilis episodes presenting cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric comorbidities increased, while the percentage of syphilis episodes presenting HIV co-infection decreased by 69 %. A fatal outcome was reported in 5 % of episodes; 4.6 % of them had acquired syphilis as the main reason for hospitalisation. This study illustrates that, despite being a preventable infection, syphilis remains a public health problem. The analysis of hospitalisation and administrative data helps to understand syphilis epidemiology and provides a supplement to traditional case notifications.
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