Cent Eur J Public Health 2019, 27(3):223-228 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a5467

Current status of HIV/AIDS-syphilis co-infections: a retrospective multicentre study

Figen Sarigül¹, Murat Sayan^2,3, Dilara İnan⁴, Aydin Deveci⁵, Nurgül Ceran⁶, Mustafa Kemal Çelen⁷, Atahan Çağatay⁸, Hülya Özkan Özdemir⁹, Ferit Kuşcu¹⁰, Gül Karagöz¹¹, Yasemin Heper¹², Oğuz Karabay¹³, Başak Dokuzoğuz¹⁴, Selçuk Kaya¹⁵, Nurettin Erben¹⁶, İlkay Karaoğlan¹⁷, Gülden Munis Ersöz¹⁸, Özgür Günal¹⁹, Çiğdem Hatipoğlu²⁰, Selda Sayin Kutlu²¹, Ayhan Akbulut²², Rabin Saba²³, Alper Şener²⁴, Seyit Ali Büyüktuna²⁵

¹ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Antalya and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, Antalya, Turkey

² PCR Unit, Clinical Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey

³ Research Centre of Experiment Health Sciences, Near East University, Nicosia, Northern Cyprus

⁴ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey

⁵ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun 19 Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey

⁶ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Istanbul Haydarpasa Numune Education and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, Istanbul, Turkey

⁷ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir University, Diyarbakir, Turkey

⁸ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey

⁹ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Bozyaka Education and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, Izmir, Turkey

¹⁰ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey

¹¹ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Istanbul Umraniye Education and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, Istanbul, Turkey

¹² Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa University, Bursa, Turkey

¹³ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey

¹⁴ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, Ankara, Turkey

¹⁵ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey

¹⁶ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir University, Eskisehir, Turkey

¹⁷ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey

¹⁸ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey

¹⁹ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Samsun Education and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, Samsun, Turkey

²⁰ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Ankara Education and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, Ankara, Turkey

²¹ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey

²² Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Firat University, Elazig, Turkey

²³ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Private Medstar Antalya Hospital, Antalya, Turkey

²⁴ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Onsekiz Mart University, Canakkale, Turkey

²⁵ Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey

Objective: Treponema pallidum and HIV are transmitted frequently through sexual contact, these agents with epidemiological similarities co-infect the same host. The current number of HIV-infected cases in Turkey is increasing. For this reason, we aimed to reveal the characteristics of syphilis in HIV/AIDS cases.

Methods: A retrospective longitudinal cohort study was performed, patients were followed up at 24 clinics in 16 cities from all seven regions of Turkey between January 2010 to April 2018. We examined the socio-demographic characteristics, laboratory parameters and neurosyphilis association in HIV/AIDS-syphilis co-infected cases.

Results: Among 3,641 patients with HIV-1 infection, 291 (8%) patients were diagnosed with syphilis co-infection. Most patients were older than 25 years (92%), 96% were males, 74% were working, 23% unemployed, and 3% were students. The three highest prevalence of syphilis were in Black Sea (10.3%), Mediterranean (8.4%) and Marmara Regions (7.4%). As for sexual orientation, 46% were heterosexuals, 42% men who have sex with men (MSM), and no data available for 12%. Patients with the number of CD4+ ≤ 350 mm³ reached 46%, 17% of the patients received antiretroviral therapy and neurosyphilis association reached 9%.

Conclusion: Although HIV/AIDS-syphilis co-infection status appeared high in heterosexuals, MSM had a moderate level increase in cases. Our results suggested syphilis co-infection in HIV/AIDS cases should be integral part of monitoring in a national sexual transmitted diseases surveillance system. However, our data may provide base for HIV/syphilis prevention and treatment efforts in the future.

Keywords: syphilis, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases

Received: July 25, 2018; Revised: August 22, 2019; Accepted: August 22, 2019; Published: September 30, 2019  Show citation