Table 1.
Demographic Data of the 29 Patients with Syphilis
| Parameters | Patient Number (%) N=29 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | Male | 29 (100) |
| Age (years) | Median | 30 |
| IQR | 25–37 | |
| Risk factor | MSM | 29 (100) |
| HIV co-infection | No | 8 (27.6) |
| Yes | 21 (72.4) | |
| HIV viral load (copies/mL) at enrollment (N=21) | Median | <20 |
| IQR | <20–18,966 | |
| CD4 count at enrollment (N=21) | Median | 526 |
| IQR | 310–707 | |
| RPR titer before treatment | Median | 1:128 |
| IQR | 1:64–1:256 | |
| Syphilis episode | First episode | 14 (48.3) |
| ≥2 | 15 (51.7) | |
| Treatment of syphilis (benzathine penicillin 2.4 mu) | 1 shot | 16 (55.2) |
| 2 shots | 1 (3.4) | |
| 3 shots | 12 (41.4) | |
| Time (hours) from treatment to blood sampling for evaluation of the JHR | Median | 3.58 |
| IQR | 2.35–4.16 | |
| JHR after benzathine penicillin treatment | Negative | 17 (58.6) |
| Positive | 12 (41.4) | |
| Time (hours) from treatment to development of the JHR | Median | 5 |
| IQR | 3.5–7.2 | |
| JHR in patients with a first episode of syphilis (N=14) | Negative | 7 (50) |
| Positive | 7 (50) | |
| JHR in patients with recurrent syphilis (N=15) | Negative | 10 (66.7) |
| Positive | 5 (33.3) | |
| RPR titer decreased at least 4-fold after 1 year (N=25) | YES | 21 (84) |
| NO | 4 (16) | |
Abbreviations: HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; RPR, rapid plasma reagin; IQR, interquartile range; MSM, men who have sex with men; JHR, Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction.