Syphilis screening in primary care.
BACKGROUND
Reported cases of early syphilis have increased dramatically since 1987. Screening high-risk patients has been advocated as an intervention strategy to control the syphilis epidemic.


METHODS
This study determined the prevalence of previously unrecognized positive syphilis serologies among patients at an urgent care center. Two hundred sixty-five patients treated empirically for gonorrhea were screened.


RESULTS
Two patients had positive serology; both were previously treated for syphilis and had no evidence of recurrent infection. The yield from screening the study population was 0.


CONCLUSIONS
Serologic diagnosis of syphilis is not reliable or cost effective in groups with a very low prevalence of disease. Routine screening for syphilis in asymptomatic high-risk patients may not be indicated in all primary care settings.
Snyder
G F
GF
Department of Family Medicine, State University of New York, Buffalo.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013587:Syphilis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013588:Syphilis Serodiagnosis
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents