Clinical characteristic of patients with syphilis and cerebral infarction complicated with and without atherosclerosis risk factors

Abstract

Objective To investigate the differences between patients with and without atherosclerosis risk factors of syphilis complicated with cerebral infarction. Methods Total of 24 patients of syphilis complicated with cerebral infarction were collected from April 3rd, 2015 to July 28th, 2017 in Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, and were devided into two groups: group with and without atherosclerosis risk factors (8 cases and 16 cases, respectively). The cerebrospinal fluid and CTA, record general information were detected, and the differences between the two groups were compared, respectively. Results Patients without atherosclerosis risk factors were younger (43.0 ± 8.7 years old) than cases with atherosclerosis risk factors (58.1 ± 15.2 years old) (t= 2.59,P= 0.016). The preponderance of men exists in both groups, the proportion of male cases was almost equal (62.5%and75.0% of cases without and with atherosclerosis risk factors, respectively), without significant difference (χ2= 0.40, P= 0.9). Intracranial arteries were mainly involved in cases without risk factors (75.0%vs. 31.3%;χ2= 4.11,P 0.05). The percentage of neurosyphilis between two groups were not statistically significant (62.5%vs. 92.9%;χ2= 3.15,P> 0.05). Conclusions Patients of syphilis complicated with cerebral infarction without atherosclerosis risk factors were younger. Intracranial arteries were mainly involved in those patients. Key words: Syphilis; Atherosclerosis; Cerebral infarction