Table 1.
Characteristics of patients presenting with ocular syphilis (unless otherwise stated, n = 127 total patients, 68 HIV-negative patients and 36 HIV-positive patients)a.
| Variable | All patients | HIV-negative patients | HIV-positive patients | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) at diagnosis, | ||||
| mean ± SD (median, range) | 46.6 ± 13.5 (48.0, 22–88) | 47.8 ± 13.2 (49.0, 22–88) | 41.6 ± 11.7 (41.5, 23–66) | 0.020g |
| Gender, n (%) | ||||
| Female | 31 (24.4) | 22 (32.4) | 3 (8.3) | 0.006h |
| Male | 96 (75.6) | 46 (67.6) | 33 (91.7) | |
| Bilateral involvement, n (%) | 87 (68.5) | 46 (67.6) | 25 (69.4) | 0.851h |
| Duration (months) of symptoms at diagnosis, mean ± SD (median, range), | ||||
| [n = 123, 67 HIV-negative, 34 HIV-positive] | 2.8 ± 6.3 (1.0, 0.0–48) | 2.4 ± 3.9 (1.0, 0.1–24) | 3.6 ± 9.9 (1.0, 0.1–48) | 0.530i |
| Positive serum treponemal testb, n (%) | 127 (100) | 68 (100) | 36 (100) | NA |
| Titer of serum non-treponemal testc, | ||||
| median (range) | 1:64 (1:1–1:2048) | 1:64 (1:1–1:2048) | 1:128 (1:1–1:1024) | 0.681i |
| ≤1:128, n (%) | 55 (43.3) | 27 (39.7) | 21 (58.3) | 0.070h |
| CSF abnormalityd, n (%) | ||||
| [n = 85, 47 HIV-negative, 28 HIV-positive] | 29 (34.1) | 14 (29.8) | 12 (42.9) | 0.250h |
| Antibiotic treatmente, n(%) [n = 118, 65 HIV-negative, 35 HIV-positive] | ||||
| Aqueous penicillin G IV | 91 (77.1) | 52 (80.0) | 30 (85.7) | 0.478h |
| Ceftriaxone IV | 27 (22.9) | 13 (20.0) | 5 (14.3) | |
| Corticosteroid treatmentf, n(%) | ||||
| [n = 122, 67 HIV-negative, 35 HIV-positive] | 74 (60.7) | 41 (61.2) | 17 (48.6) | 0.222h |
Abbreviations: HIV = human immunodeficiency virus; SD = standard deviation; CSF = cerebrospinal fluid; IV = intravenous; NA = not applicable. aHIV testing was either not performed or results were not available for 23 patients (18.1%). bSerum treponemal tests were fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-Abs) or microagglutination assay for T. pallidum (MHA-TP). cNon-treponemal tests were Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) and Rapid Plasmin Reagent (RPR). dCSF abnormalities: positive VDRL and/or >4 leukocytes/mm3 and protein >40 mg/dl. CSF analysis was not available for 42 patients (33.1%). eThree subjects who were treated with penicillin G benzathine and 6 subjects who failed to complete medical treatment were excluded from this analysis. fCorticosteroids included oral prednisone (n = 72), periocular triamcinolone (n = 1) and intravenous methylprednisolone (n = 1). Statistical analyses were performed by: gStudent’s t-test; hPearson’s chi-square test; and iMann-Whitney U test.