Absolute (relative) frequencies of syphilis diagnoses reported through National Enhanced Syphilis Surveillance (NESS) by gender and male sexual orientation: 1999 to 2008
| Parameter* | Male heterosexual | Female heterosexual | Men who have sex with men | Total |
| Total | 1938 (16.37) | 1244 (10.51) | 8656 (73.12) | 11838 (100.00) |
| Stage of infection | ||||
| Primary | 916 (47.27) | 409 (32.88) | 3373 (38.97) | 4698 (39.68) |
| Secondary | 414 (21.36) | 246 (19.77) | 3017 (34.85) | 3677 (31.07) |
| Early latent | 419 (21.62) | 417 (33.952) | 1786 (20.63) | 2622 (22.15) |
| Not available | 189 (9.75) | 172 (13.83) | 480 (5.55) | 841 (7.10) |
| Whether born in the UK | ||||
| UK born | 707 (36.48) | 469 (37.70) | 1736 (20.06) | 2912 (24.59) |
| Non-UK born | 1065 (54.95) | 682 (54.82) | 6143 (70.97) | 7890 (66.65) |
| Not available | 166 (8.57) | 93 (7.48) | 777 (8.98) | 1036 (8.75) |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| White | 1056 (54.49) | 720 (57.88) | 7715 (89.13) | 9491 (80.17) |
| Black | 499 (25.75) | 341 (27.41) | 286 (3.30) | 1126 (9.52) |
| Asian | 268 (13.83) | 111 (8.92) | 277 (3.20) | 656 (5.54) |
| Other ethnicity | 61 (3.15) | 45 (3.62) | 215 (2.48) | 321 (2.72) |
| Not available | 54 (2.79) | 27 (2.17) | 163 (1.88) | 244 (2.07) |
| Reason for attending clinical services | ||||
| Routine screen | 361 (18.63) | 314 (25.24) | 2275 (26.28) | 2950 (24.92) |
| Symptoms | 1058 (54.59) | 259 (20.82) | 4283 (49.48) | 5600 (47.31) |
| Campaign | 14 (0.72) | 3 (0.24) | 21 (0.24) | 38 (0.33) |
| Contact tracing | 200 (10.32) | 191 (15.35) | 722 (8.34) | 1113 (9.40) |
| Antenatal screening | 7 (0.36) | 276 (22.19) | 1 (0.01) | 284 (2.40) |
| Other | 163 (8.41) | 136 (10.93) | 641 (7.41) | 940 (7.94) |
| Not available | 135 (6.97) | 65 (5.23) | 713 (8.24) | 913 (7.71) |
| HIV status | ||||
| HIV positive | 110 (5.68) | 54 (4.34) | 3071 (35.48) | 3235 (27.33) |
| HIV negative | 1350 (69.66) | 923 (74.20) | 4393 (50.75) | 6666 (56.31) |
| Not available | 478 (24.66) | 267 (21.46) | 1192 (13.77) | 1937 (16.37) |
| Infection acquired through oral sex | ||||
| Yes | 192 (9.91) | 48 (3.86) | 2847 (32.89) | 3087 (26.08) |
| No | 1095 (56.50) | 735 (59.08) | 2953 (34.12) | 4783 (40.41) |
| Not available | 651 (33.59) | 461 (37.06) | 2856 (32.99) | 3968 (33.52) |
| Location | ||||
| London | 551 (28.43) | 297 (23.87) | 2903 (33.54) | 3751 (31.68) |
| Brighton | 20 (1.03) | 14 (1.13) | 437 (5.05) | 471 (3.98) |
| Manchester | 66 (3.41) | 37 (2.97) | 1018 (11.76) | 1121 (9.47) |
| Elsewhere in UK | 586 (30.24) | 420 (33.76) | 1828 (21.12) | 2834 (23.94) |
| Overseas | 320 (16.51) | 208 (16.72) | 682 (7.88) | 1210 (10.22) |
| Not available | 395 (20.38) | 268 (21.54) | 1788 (20.66) | 2451 (20.70) |
| Commercial sex worker | ||||
| Yes | 11 (0.57) | 111 (8.92) | 92 (1.06) | 214 (1.81) |
| No | 1534 (79.15) | 873 (70.18) | 6947 (80.26) | 9354 (79.01) |
| Not available | 393 (20.28) | 260 (20.90) | 1617 (18.68) | 2270 (19.18) |
| Social network | ||||
| Sauna | 26 (1.34) | 8 (0.64) | 1064 (12.29) | 1098 (9.28) |
| Bar | 180 (9.29) | 50 (4.02) | 1265 (14.61) | 1495 (12.63) |
| Internet | 9 (0.46) | 5 (0.40) | 535 (6.18) | 549 (4.64) |
| Not available | 1723 (88.91) | 1181 (94.94) | 5792 (66.91) | 8696 (73.46) |
| Age | ||||
| ≤15 | 2 (0.10) | 10 (0.80) | 2 (0.02) | 14 (0.12) |
| 16–19 | 51 (2.63) | 128 (10.29) | 170 (1.96) | 349 (2.95) |
| 20–24 | 220 (11.35) | 283 (22.75) | 920 (10.63) | 1423 (12.02) |
| 25–34 | 611 (31.53) | 466 (37.46) | 2710 (31.31) | 3787 (31.99) |
| 35–44 | 542 (27.97) | 209 (16.80) | 3022 (34.91) | 3773 (31.88) |
| 45+ | 459 (23.68) | 114 (9.16) | 1562 (18.05) | 2135 (18.03) |
| Not available | 53 (2.73) | 34 (2.73) | 270 (3.12) | 357 (3.02) |
| Strategic Health Authority | ||||
| East Midlands | 208 (10.73) | 165 (13.26) | 197 (2.28) | 570 (4.81) |
| East of England | 21 (1.08) | 14 (1.13) | 43 (0.50) | 78 (0.66) |
| London | 557 (28.74) | 345 (27.73) | 2888 (33.36) | 3790 (32.02) |
| North East | 111 (5.73) | 58 (4.66) | 483 (5.58) | 652 (5.51) |
| North West | 295 (15.22) | 211 (16.96) | 2315 (26.74) | 2821 (23.83) |
| South Central | 65 (3.35) | 34 (2.73) | 198 (2.29) | 297 (2.51) |
| South East Coast | 39 (2.01) | 30 (2.41) | 516 (5.96) | 585 (4.94) |
| South West | 89 (4.59) | 71 (5.71) | 442 (5.11) | 602 (5.08) |
| West Midlands | 144 (7.43) | 121 (9.73) | 256 (2.96) | 521 (4.40) |
| Yorkshire & The Humber | 22 (1.14) | 8 (0.64) | 67 (0.77) | 97 (0.83) |
| Not available | 387 (19.97) | 187 (15.03) | 1251 (14.45) | 1825 (15.42) |
| Year | ||||
| 1999 | 5 (0.26) | 10 (0.80) | 32 (0.37) | 47 (0.39) |
| 2000 | 7 (0.36) | 5 (0.40) | 74 (0.85) | 86 (0.73) |
| 2001 | 62 (3.20) | 44 (3.54) | 355 (4.10) | 461 (3.89) |
| 2002 | 147 (7.59) | 79 (6.35) | 643 (7.43) | 869 (7.34) |
| 2003 | 242 (12.49) | 144 (11.58) | 808 (9.33) | 1194 (10.09) |
| 2004 | 278 (14.34) | 197 (15.84) | 1091 (12.60) | 1566 (13.23) |
| 2005 | 258 (13.31) | 167 (13.42) | 1170 (13.52) | 1595 (13.47) |
| 2006 | 372 (15.20) | 226 (18.17) | 1397 (16.14) | 1995 (16.85) |
| 2007 | 303 (15.63) | 188 (15.11) | 1568 (18.11) | 2059 (17.40) |
| 2008 | 231 (11.92) | 153 (12.30) | 1309 (15.12) | 1693 (14.30) |
| Not available | 33 (1.70) | 31 (2.49) | 20 (2.41) | 273 (2.31) |
Values are number (%).
↵* Partner notification is not shown because it is a discrete variable.