Correlates of prevalent syphilis infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV attending the HIV clinic in Trinidad.
<h4>Background</h4>Syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV is of public health concern, thus the objective of the study is to determine the correlates of prevalent syphilis infection in this population so that urgent interventions could be instituted.<h4>Meth...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265909 |
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| author | R Jeffrey Edwards Abigail Mohammed Leon-Omari Lavia Jonathan Edwards Shiva Verma Saketh Reddy Gregory Boyce |
| author_facet | R Jeffrey Edwards Abigail Mohammed Leon-Omari Lavia Jonathan Edwards Shiva Verma Saketh Reddy Gregory Boyce |
| author_sort | R Jeffrey Edwards |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV is of public health concern, thus the objective of the study is to determine the correlates of prevalent syphilis infection in this population so that urgent interventions could be instituted.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional study was conducted during the period September 2020-June 2021 among MSM who attended a large HIV Clinic in Trinidad. A questionnaire was administered to obtain socio-demographic data and correlates of prevalent syphilis and patients were screened for syphilis using the traditional algorithm. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted and multivariable logistic regression factors was used to assess factors significantly associated with a syphilis diagnosis.<h4>Results</h4>Two hundred and sixty four MSM were enrolled; age range 18-64 years, median age 33 years and 89 (34.4%) were actively bisexual. The prevalence of syphilis was 28% (74/264) and 89.2% (66/74) of these infections were asymptomatic. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that those patients who participated in sex with anonymous partners (OR 2.09; 95% CI, 1.03-4.26), those with a previous diagnosis of syphilis (OR 5.16; 95% CI, 1.03-25.83) and those who used marijuana in the last 12 months (OR 2.13; 95% CI, 1.14-3.96) were more likely to be diagnosed with syphilis.<h4>Conclusion</h4>There is a high prevalence of asymptomatic syphilis among MSM living with HIV in Trinidad. Repeat episodes of syphilis and anonymous sex may play a role in the transmission dynamics of T pallidum infection in this population, thus urgent public health prevention interventions are warranted. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T00:00:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1d79d667128f4ae7870db5e0960aae76 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T00:00:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-1d79d667128f4ae7870db5e0960aae762022-12-22T02:23:43ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01173e026590910.1371/journal.pone.0265909Correlates of prevalent syphilis infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV attending the HIV clinic in Trinidad.R Jeffrey EdwardsAbigail MohammedLeon-Omari LaviaJonathan EdwardsShiva VermaSaketh ReddyGregory Boyce<h4>Background</h4>Syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV is of public health concern, thus the objective of the study is to determine the correlates of prevalent syphilis infection in this population so that urgent interventions could be instituted.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional study was conducted during the period September 2020-June 2021 among MSM who attended a large HIV Clinic in Trinidad. A questionnaire was administered to obtain socio-demographic data and correlates of prevalent syphilis and patients were screened for syphilis using the traditional algorithm. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted and multivariable logistic regression factors was used to assess factors significantly associated with a syphilis diagnosis.<h4>Results</h4>Two hundred and sixty four MSM were enrolled; age range 18-64 years, median age 33 years and 89 (34.4%) were actively bisexual. The prevalence of syphilis was 28% (74/264) and 89.2% (66/74) of these infections were asymptomatic. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that those patients who participated in sex with anonymous partners (OR 2.09; 95% CI, 1.03-4.26), those with a previous diagnosis of syphilis (OR 5.16; 95% CI, 1.03-25.83) and those who used marijuana in the last 12 months (OR 2.13; 95% CI, 1.14-3.96) were more likely to be diagnosed with syphilis.<h4>Conclusion</h4>There is a high prevalence of asymptomatic syphilis among MSM living with HIV in Trinidad. Repeat episodes of syphilis and anonymous sex may play a role in the transmission dynamics of T pallidum infection in this population, thus urgent public health prevention interventions are warranted.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265909 |
| spellingShingle | R Jeffrey Edwards Abigail Mohammed Leon-Omari Lavia Jonathan Edwards Shiva Verma Saketh Reddy Gregory Boyce Correlates of prevalent syphilis infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV attending the HIV clinic in Trinidad. PLoS ONE |
| title | Correlates of prevalent syphilis infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV attending the HIV clinic in Trinidad. |
| title_full | Correlates of prevalent syphilis infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV attending the HIV clinic in Trinidad. |
| title_fullStr | Correlates of prevalent syphilis infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV attending the HIV clinic in Trinidad. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Correlates of prevalent syphilis infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV attending the HIV clinic in Trinidad. |
| title_short | Correlates of prevalent syphilis infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV attending the HIV clinic in Trinidad. |
| title_sort | correlates of prevalent syphilis infection among men who have sex with men msm living with hiv attending the hiv clinic in trinidad |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265909 |
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