Table 2.
Characteristics of early and late neurosyphilis (Alberta, 1973 to March 2017; n=250)
| Early neurosyphilis | Late neurosyphilis | Comparison of Early and Late p-Value | |||||||
| Asymptomatic (n=28) | Symptomatic (n=105) | Total (n=133) | P value | Asymptomatic (n=47) | Symptomatic (n=70) | Total (n=117) | P value | ||
| Median age (IQR) | 40 (32–46) | 47 (39–55) | 44 (36–54) | 0.02 | 45 (32–65) | 64 (53–75) | 58 (45–70) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Gender | |||||||||
| Female | 8 (28.6) | 12 (11.4) | 20 (15.0) | 0.02 | 6 (12.8) | 15 (21.4) | 21 (17.9) | 0.23 | 0.54 |
| Male | 20 (71.4) | 93 (88.6) | 113 (85.0) | 41 (87.2) | 55 (78.6) | 96 (82.1) | |||
| Ethnicity | |||||||||
| Indigenous | 6 (21.4) | 6 (5.7) | 12 (9.0) | 0.001 | 6 (12.8) | 3 (4.3) | 9 (7.7) | 0.44 | <0.001 |
| Caucasian | 10 (35.7) | 78 (74.3) | 88 (66.2) | 14 (29.8) | 23 (32.9) | 37 (31.6) | |||
| Other | 3 (10.7) | 4 (3.8) | 7 (5.3) | 16 (34.0) | 27 (38.6) | 43 (36.8) | |||
| Unknown | 9 (32.1) | 17 (16.2) | 26 (19.5) | 11 (23.4) | 17 (24.3) | 28 (23.9) | |||
| Municipality | |||||||||
| Calgary | 9 (32.1) | 32 (30.5) | 41 (30.8) | 0.62 | 10 (21.3) | 22 (31.4) | 32 (27.4) | 0.46 | 0.59 |
| Edmonton | 15 (53.6) | 48 (45.7) | 63 (47.4) | 28 (59.6) | 35 (50.0) | 63 (53.8) | |||
| Other | 4 (14.3) | 25 (23.8) | 29 (21.8) | 9 (19.1) | 13 (18.6) | 22 (18.8) | |||
| Country of birth | |||||||||
| Canada | 16 (57.1) | 56 (53.3) | 72 (54.1) | 0.23 | 23 (48.9) | 16 (22.9) | 39 (33.3) | 0.01 | <0.001 |
| Outside of Canada | 5 (17.9) | 9 (8.6) | 14 (10.5) | 17 (36.2) | 36 (51.4) | 53 (45.3) | |||
| Unknown | 7 (25.0) | 40 (38.1) | 47 (35.3) | 7 (14.9) | 18 (25.7) | 25 (21.4) | |||
| Decade of diagnosis | |||||||||
| 1970s | 1 (3.6) | 1 (1.0) | 2 (1.5) | 0.001 | 4 (8.5) | 1 (1.4) | 5 (4.3) | 0.29 | <0.001 |
| 1980s | 6 (21.4) | 3 (2.9) | 9 (6.8) | 13 (27.7) | 15 (21.4) | 28 (23.9) | |||
| 1990s | 3 (10.7) | 5 (4.8) | 8 (6.0) | 6 (12.8) | 9 (12.7) | 15 (12.8) | |||
| 2000s | 8 (28.6) | 28 (26.7) | 36 (27.1) | 4 (8.5) | 20 (28.6) | 24 (20.5) | |||
| 2010s | 10 (35.7) | 68 (64.8) | 78 (58.6) | 20 (42.6) | 25 (35.7) | 45 (38.5) | |||
| Sexual partners | |||||||||
| Heterosexual | 12 (42.9) | 46 (43.8) | 58 (43.6) | 1.00 | 30 (63.8) | 38 (54.3) | 68 (58.1) | 0.002 | <0.001 |
| Same sex | 14 (50.0) | 52 (49.5) | 66 (49.6) | 11 (23.4) | 5 (7.1) | 16 (13.7) | |||
| Unknown | 2 (7.1) | 7 (6.7) | 9 (6.8) | 6 (12.8) | 27 (38.6) | 33 (28.2) | |||
| HIV status | |||||||||
| Negative | 5 (17.9) | 68 (64.8) | 73 (54.9) | <0.001 | 19 (40.4) | 27 (38.6) | 46 (39.3) | 0.31 | <0.001 |
| Positive | 17 (60.7) | 30 (28.6) | 47 (35.3) | 8 (17.0) | 6 (8.6) | 14 (12.0) | |||
| Unknown | 6 (21.4) | 7 (6.7) | 13 (9.8) | 20 (42.6) | 37 (52.9) | 57 (48.7) | |||
| Treatment | |||||||||
| Penicillin G | 22 (78.6) | 82 (78.1) | 104 (78.2) | 0.87 | 21 (44.7) | 63 (90.0) | 84 (71.8) | <0.001 | 0.43 |
| Ceftriaxone | 3 (10.7) | 14 (13.3) | 17 (12.8) | 12 (25.5) | 5 (7.1) | 17 (14.5) | |||
| Other | 3 (10.7) | 9 (8.6) | 12 (9.0) | 14 (29.8) | 2 (2.9) | 16 (13.7) | |||