Abstract
Our goal was to determine the prevalence of, and risk factors associated with, syphilis in HIV-infected patients who attend an AIDS outpatient clinic in Vitoria, Brazil. We conducted a cross-sectional study—including interviews for demographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics—and blood collection (venipuncture and fingerstick) for VDRL and treponemal tests (rapid test) in a total of 438 patients. The mean age was 43.0 years (SD = 11), and mean years of school was 8.1 (SD = 4.2). The prevalence of syphilis was 5.3 % (95 % CI 3.3–7.3). The treponemal test was positive in 18.9 % of participants. In multivariate analysis, prevalent syphilis infection was independently associated with male gender (AOR 4.6, 95 % CI 1.1–20.0), a history of male–male sex (AOR 1.8, 95 % CI 1.6–4.1), current use of antiretroviral therapy (AOR 5.5, 95 % CI 1.7–16.7), and history of treated syphilis infection (AOR 5.5, 95 % CI 2.0–15.8). Syphilis prevalence was high in patients living with HIV/AIDS who attend an AIDS clinic; therefore, routine sexually transmitted infections counseling and screening should be included in their care.
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Acknowledgments
Authors (AEM and KP) received support through the University of California San Francisco from the following Grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH): Fogarty International Center (FIC) D43TW005799, National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) P30 MH062246, R25MH064712, the FIC AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP), and the Starr Foundation Scholarship Fund. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH, NIMH or FIC.
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Callegari, F.M., Pinto-Neto, L.F., Medeiros, C.J. et al. Syphilis and HIV Co-Infection in Patients Who Attend an AIDS Outpatient Clinic in Vitoria, Brazil. AIDS Behav 18 (Suppl 1), 104–109 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0533-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0533-x