- Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences
- Vol: 38 Issue: 2
- Review of Syphilis Patient Records in İzmir State Venereal Diseases Clinic from 1994 to 2004
Review of Syphilis Patient Records in İzmir State Venereal Diseases Clinic from 1994 to 2004
Authors : Meltem Işikgöz Taşbakan
Pages : 181-186
View : 12 | Download : 5
Publication Date : 9999-12-31
Article Type : Makaleler
Abstract :Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate patients attending a sexually transmitted infection (STI) outpatient clinic with a presumptive or definitive diagnosis of syphilis with regard to demographic characteristics, clinical findings, diagnostic criteria, treatment regimens and follow-up data over a 10-year period. Materials and Methods: The records of patients who had a presumptive/definitive diagnosis of syphilis [according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) criteria] and who were referred to the İzmir State Venereal Diseases Outpatient Clinic or who were diagnosed in the clinic between 1994 and 2004 were reviewed retrospectively. Results: A total of 689 patients were included for evaluation; 378 (54.7%) were males and 311 (45.3%) were females. The ages of these patients ranged between 13-77 years, with a mean of 35.2±11.2. One hundred and fifty-three of the cases were sex workers. At the time of admission, 12.3% were considered to be in the primary stage, 17.4% in the secondary stage and 70.3% in the latent stage. The most common clinical findings in symptomatic patients were chancre (12%) and rash (9.2%). Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serology was screened in only 19.6% of the patients and two were positive. The most preferred treatment regimen was three doses of 2.4 million units benzathine penicillin (at one-week intervals). Conclusions: Our results indicate that syphilis is still present in the Turkish population and standard approaches in the treatment and follow-up of patients are lacking.Keywords : Syphilis, sexually transmitted infections, Turkey