| Characteristic | Patients tested n =52 055 | Syphilis diagnoses n = 522 (positivity %) | Laboratory tests n =67 953 | Positive laboratory tests n =6503 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 28 090 (54.0) | 501 (1.8) | 39 060 (57.5) | 5591 (14.3) |
| Female | 23 963 (46.0) | 21 (0.1) | 28 891 (42.5) | 912 (3.2) |
| Missing data | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Age years, a median ( IQR ) | 34 (27–44) | 44 (35–52) | ||
| <15 | 132 (0.3) | 0 | 151 (0.2) | 0 |
| 15–25 | 8478 (16.3) | 33 (0.4) | 9881 (14.5) | 262 (2.7) |
| 26–35 | 20 549 (39.5) | 103 (0.5) | 25 074 (36.9) | 951 (3.8) |
| 36–45 | 11 641 (22.4) | 156 (1.3) | 15 393 (22.7) | 1649 (10.7) |
| 46–55 | 7031 (13.5) | 153 (2.2) | 10 630 (15.6) | 2050 (19.3) |
| >55 | 4213 (8.1) | 77 (1.8) | 6824 (10.0) | 1591 (23.3) |
| PCR | N/A | N/A | 617 (0.9) | 106 (17.2) |
| Anti- T. Pallidum ( EIA ) | N/A | N/A | 46 389 (68.3) | 3095 (6.7) |
| Positive in the pastb | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1303 (42.1) |
| New positivec | N/A | N/A | N/A | 85 (2.7) |
| TPHA/TPPA | N/A | N/A | 17 125 (25.2) | 1842 (10.8) |
| Positive in the pastb | N/A | N/A | N/A | 607 (33.0) |
| New positivec | N/A | N/A | N/A | 30 (1.6) |
| Confirmation (immunoblot) | N/A | N/A | 1042 (1.5) | 926 (88.9) |
| VDRL/RPR (positive ≥1:4) | N/A | N/A | 2780 (4.1) | 534 (19.2) |
aAge in years at first test for patients’ column, age at test for other columns. bSome laboratories reported laboratory tests as 'positive in the past', even though it was the first lab request in this patient during the studied period. c New positive after an earlier negative test.
EIA = enzyme immunoassay. IQR = interquartile range. N/A = not applicable. PCR = polymerase chain reaction. RPR = rapid plasma reagin. TPHA/TPPA = Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay/T. pallidum particle agglutination assay.VDRL = venereal disease research laboratory.