Analysis of syphilis infection status among 1 734 patients in a hospital in Putian

Objective To analyze the status of syphilis infection in dermatology outpatients of Putian Dermatology Prevention and Control Hospital, to explore the relevant factors affecting syphilis infection, and to provide suggestions for syphilis prevention and intervention.Methods A total of 1,734 patients attending Putian Dermatological Disease Control Hospital from January 2020 to December 2023 were studied, and syphilis spirochetes were detected by a combination of the syphilis spirochete particle agglutination test (TPPA) and the toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST), and the results were statistically analyzed.Results The overall syphilis infection rate among the 1,734 patients attending the clinic was 7.61% (132/1734), 10.79% (48/445) in women and 6.52% (84/1289) in men, with a statistically significant difference of significantly higher infection rate in women than in men (χ2=8.575, P=0.003). ≤18 years old and ≥70 years old were the most prevalent age groups for syphilis, with infection rates of 19.51% (16/82) and 14.06% (9/64), respectively, and the lowest infection rate of 2.52% (11/437) was found in 30-39 years old, with a statistically significant difference in the infection rate between all age groups (χ2=46.666, P<0.001).The period between 2020 and 2023 may be affected by the Between 2020 and 2023, the infection rate may be affected by the epidemic of novel coronavirus infection, which showed an increasing and then decreasing trend. the infection rate was the lowest in 2020, 5.66% (27/477), and then increased to 8.20% (31/378) in 2021. the infection rate of clinic attendees was the highest in 2022, 9.34% (41/439), and then decreased to 7.50% (33/440) in 2023. The difference in infection rates between 2020 and 2022 was statistically significant (χ2=4.502, P=0.034).Conclusion In this study, syphilis prevalence was higher among people ≤18 years and ≥70 years. The overall infection rate was higher in females than in males.The lower infection rate in 2020 compared to 2022 may be related to the normalization of prevention and control during the period of the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak.