Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of syphilis among patients at a tertiary referral center in Turkey and determine the need for antenatal syphilis screening based on the results. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study based on patient data obtained from a tertiary referral center in Turkey. Serological syphilis screening using the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) was performed on all pregnant women as a part of routine antenatal care at their first hospital visit during pregnancy. Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) was used to confirm positive screening results for syphilis. RESULTS: Patients’ mean age was 27.4 years. The incidence of positive syphilis serology was 0.013% (one patient), which was supported by a positive confirmatory test (0.013%).The TPHA-positive pregnant woman diagnosed with syphilis was treated with benzathine penicillin, and she gave birth to normal infants without any signs of congenital syphilis. CONCLUSION: Syphilis prevalence should be determined in each developing country with population-based studies. According to the prevalence of syphilis, each country should determine its own syphilis antenatal screening policies.
Highlights
Transmitted diseases (STDs) have long been important public health problems in developing and developed countries
The Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA)-positive pregnant woman diagnosed with syphilis was treated with benzathine penicillin, and she gave birth to normal infants without any signs of congenital syphilis
We assessed the incidence of syphilis among pregnant women referred to our tertiary referral center in Konya, the 12th largest city in Turkey
Summary
Transmitted diseases (STDs) have long been important public health problems in developing and developed countries. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum that can affect a fetus during pregnancy. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, about 1.86 million active syphilis cases are detected in pregnant women annually, mostly in developing countries [1]. Congenital syphilis, stillbirth, prematurity, and intrauterine death occur in half of pregnancies involving active syphilis [2]. Treponema pallidum can cross through the placenta and infect the fetus from the sixth gestational week, and transmission risk increases with time. Treponema pallidum can be transmitted during delivery. Intrauterine period manifestations can be seen after the first trimester because fetal immune system maturation develops after 16 weeks
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