Sífilis en hombres que tienen sexo con hombres: una alarma para la detección de infección por VIH

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of syphilis in men who have sex with men (MSM) in an area of Mallorca, Spain. MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of syphilis cases in MSM seen at a hospital in Mallorca between January 2005 and June 2013. ResultsFifty-five cases of syphilis were recorded in MSM during the study period (34.3% of all cases diagnosed), and 74.5% of these patients had human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection. The two diseases had been diagnosed simultaneously in 70.7% of this population. Patients with HIV coinfection had a median CD4 count of 456cells/μL (range, 29-979 cells/μL). Syphilis was diagnosed clinically in 49.1% of cases and by screening in the remaining 50.9%. The most common form of syphilis was late latent or indeterminate syphilis (41.9% of cases). In the group of men with syphilis, MSM had a higher risk of HIV infection. ConclusionsA majority of MSM with syphilis had HIV coinfection. HIV screening is therefore essential in this population and could even result in early diagnosis.