title: Syphilis in Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Warning Sign for HIV Infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of syphilis in men who have sex with men (MSM) in an area of Mallorca, Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective analysis of syphilis cases in MSM seen at a hospital in Mallorca between January 2005 and June 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-five cases of syphilis were recorded in MSM during the study period (34.3% of all cases diagnosed), and 74.5% of these patients had human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection. The two diseases had been diagnosed simultaneously in 70.7% of this population. Patients with HIV coinfection had a median CD4 count of 456cells/μL (range, 29-979 cells/μL). Syphilis was diagnosed clinically in 49.1% of cases and by screening in the remaining 50.9%. The most common form of syphilis was late latent or indeterminate syphilis (41.9% of cases). In the group of men with syphilis, MSM had a higher risk of HIV infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A majority of MSM with syphilis had HIV coinfection. HIV screening is therefore essential in this population and could even result in early diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Medicina Interna, Hospital Son Llàtzer, Palma de Mallorca, España. Electronic address: cgallego@hsll.es.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gállego-Lezáun
authors.affiliation: Medicina Interna, Hospital Son Llàtzer, Palma de Mallorca, España.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arrizabalaga Asenjo
authors.affiliation: Medicina Interna, Hospital Son Llàtzer, Palma de Mallorca, España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: González-Moreno
authors.affiliation: Medicina Interna, Hospital Son Llàtzer, Palma de Mallorca, España.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ferullo
authors.affiliation: Medicina Interna, Hospital Son Llàtzer, Palma de Mallorca, España.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Teslev
authors.affiliation: Medicina Interna, Hospital Son Llàtzer, Palma de Mallorca, España.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fernández-Vaca
authors.affiliation: Medicina Interna, Hospital Son Llàtzer, Palma de Mallorca, España.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Payeras Cifre
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001727:Bisexuality; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015897:Comorbidity; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D020010:Heterosexuality; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013587:Syphilis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D047568:Unsafe Sex; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hombres que tienen sexo con hombres; Human immunodeficiency virus; Men who have sex with men; Syphilis; Sífilis; Virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana