Baseline characteristics of patients in the three groups: HIV-positive, HIV-negative and patients excluded from the analysis
| HIV positive (n = 129) | HIV negative (n = 168) | p Value* | Excluded (n = 3310) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Multiple answers were possible; p values based on the χ2 test for all comparisons except mean age which was compared using independent t test. | ||||
| BPG, benzathine penicillin G; DOXY, doxycycline; NA, not applicable; NS, not significant; IQR, interquartile range; STI, sexually transmitted infection; RPR, rapid plasma reagin test. | ||||
| Mean (range) number of follow-up RPR | 2.12 (2–9) | 1.47 (1–5) | 0.001 | NA |
| Women (%) | 60 | 53 | NS | 43 |
| Median (IQR) age(years) | 34 (30–45) | 33 (27–40) | NS | 36 (27–42) |
| Race (%) | ||||
| Black | 97 | 98 | NS | 96 |
| Other | 3 | 2 | 4 | |
| Reason for clinic visit (%)* | ||||
| Symptoms | 22 | 29 | NS | 23 |
| Known contact with syphilis | 10 | 32 | <0.001 | 13 |
| Positive syphilis serology | 22 | 32 | NS | 29 |
| No of partners in the past month (%) | ||||
| 1 | 37 | 54 | <0.01 | 74 |
| 2–5 | 10 | 26 | <0.01 | 23 |
| >5 | 53 | 20 | <0.001 | 3 |
| Previous STI (%) | 93 | 81 | NS | 88 |
| History of syphilis (%) | 16 | 30 | <0.01 | 15 |
| Current stage of syphilis (%) | ||||
| Early | 28 | 92 | <0.001 | 45 |
| Late-latent or unknown duration | 67 | 8 | <0.001 | 55 |
| RPR titres % | ||||
| <1/16 | 37 | 8 | <0.01 | 30 |
| 1/16–1/64 | 33 | 29 | NS | 33 |
| >1/64 | 30 | 62 | <0.01 | 37 |
| Treatment % | ||||
| BPG | 96 | 98 | NS | 98 |
| DOXY | 4 | 2 | 2 | |