Clinical-Epidemiological Behavior of Patients Diagnosed with Syphilis at Miguel Enríquez University Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Syphilis or lues is an infectious disease that is usually spread through sexual intercourse.

Objective: To determine the clinical-epidemiological behavior of patients diagnosed with syphilis.

Methods: A descriptive, observational, longitudinal study was carried out. The universe consisted of 129 patients, who attended the Dermatology clinic at Miguel Enríquez Clinical Surgical University Hospital from June 2018 to June 2020 with a diagnosis of syphilis. The statistical method of distribution and percentage was applied as a summary measure of the quantitative variables. The results were presented in tables and graphs.

Results: There was predominance in the age group between 19 and 28 years, representating 45.7%. The female sex represented 53.5 %. The most frequent marital status was free union, 41.1%. Heterosexuals represented 74.3%. Manifestations of secondaryism were observed in 92.7%, and 37.8% reported having non-safe sex.

Conclusions: Most of the patients were young adults, female, and in civil union status. In more than half of the patients, symptomatic early acquired syphilis predominated, with clinical form of secondary disease, and treated with benzathine penicillin. Most of the patients were heterosexuals who had non-safe sex.