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. 2024 Feb 7;16(2):265.
doi: 10.3390/v16020265.

Temporal Trends in Syphilis Incidence among Men with HIV in Busan, Korea, 2005-2022: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Sun Hee Lee  1 , Jeong Eun Lee  1 , Soon Ok Lee  1 , Shinwon Lee  1 , Woo Seog Ko  1 , Hyung-Hoi Kim  2   3 , Kyung-Hwa Shin  2 , Jin Suk Kang  4 , Hyunjin Son  5
Affiliations

Temporal Trends in Syphilis Incidence among Men with HIV in Busan, Korea, 2005-2022: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Sun Hee Lee et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

We aimed to assess the temporal trends of incident syphilis and its associated risk factors among men with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of men with HIV attending an HIV clinic in Korea between 2005 and 2022. Of 767 men with HIV, 499 were included and contributed 3220 person-years (PY) of the observation period. Eighty-two patients were diagnosed with incident syphilis, with an overall incidence of 2.55/100 PY (95% confidence interval [CI] 20.56-31.53). The incidence of syphilis per 100 PY gradually decreased from 2.43 (0.79-7.42) in 2005-2007 to 1.85 (1.08-3.17) in 2014-2016; however, it increased to 3.0 (1.99-4.53) in 2017-2019, and further to 3.33 (2.26-4.89) in 2020-2022. A multivariate analysis identified young age (≤30 years versus >50, adjusted HR 6.27, 95% CI 2.38-16.56, p < 0.001), treponemal test positive at baseline (2.33, 1.48-3.67, p < 0.001), men who have sex with men (2.36, 1.34-4.16, p = 0.003), and history of incarceration (2.62, 1.21-5.67, p = 0.015) as risk factors for incident syphilis. Recently, syphilis incidence in men with HIV has increased in Korea, especially in young patients and at-risk groups, highlighting the need for enhanced regular screening and targeted behavioral interventions among these populations.

Keywords: HIV; incidence; sexually transmitted disease; syphilis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Patient selection flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Incidence of syphilis among men with HIV-1, in Busan, Korea, 2005–2022. Upper and lower whiskers represent the 95% confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The Kaplan–Meier survival curves of syphilis incidence stratified by age (A), sexual behaviors (B), treponemal test results at baseline (C), and history of incarceration (D).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.