dc.contributor.author |
Henning, M.P.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Kruger, Christa
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Fletcher, Lizelle
|
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2013-01-31T13:17:27Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2013-01-31T13:17:27Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2012-12 |
|
dc.description.abstract |
BACKGROUND: Syphilis research has neglected the prevalence of the disease among psychiatric patients, and traditional syphilis screening has
been reported as inadequate.
OBJECTIVES: (i) To assess the syphilis prevalence among psychiatric patients; (ii) to compare psychiatric diagnoses of syphilis-infected and
-uninfected patients; (iii) to assess self-reported high-risk sexual behaviour; (iv) to establish syphilis/HIV co-morbidity; and (v) to investigate
the performance of the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test in syphilis screening, compared with the Treponema pallidum haemagglutination
(TPHA) test.
METHODS: Psychiatric inpatients at Weskoppies Hospital, Pretoria, who consented to participate in the study (N=195) were categorised
according to gender and length of admission (long-term or recent). Non-treponemal RPR, confirmatory TPHA, HIV-rapid and HIV
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests were performed. A reactive TPHA test was used to diagnose syphilis.
RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of syphilis was 11.7%. There was no significant association between TPHA sero-positivity and primary
psychiatric diagnosis or self-reported high-risk sexual behaviour. Significant co-morbidity existed between syphilis and HIV (p=0.012).
Compared with the TPHA test, the RPR test performed poorly, identifying only 2/23 patients who had a sero-positive TPHA test (8.7%
sensitivity and 100% specificity).
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of syphilis was higher than anticipated, supporting the need for routine testing. The significant co-morbidity
and alarming prevalence of HIV and syphilis warrant testing for both conditions in all psychiatric admissions. Current syphilis screening
with a single RPR test is inadequate; both RPR and TPHA tests should be performed. |
en_US |
dc.description.librarian |
ay2013 |
en |
dc.description.librarian |
am2013 |
en |
dc.description.librarian |
ay2013 |
en |
dc.description.sponsorship |
The Research Committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences,
University of Pretoria |
en_US |
dc.description.uri |
http://www.sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp |
en_US |
dc.identifier.citation |
Henning, MP, Kruger, C & Fletcher, L 2012, 'Syphilis sero-positivity in recently admitted and long inpatients : screening, prevalence and diagnostic profile', South African Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 171-175. |
en_US |
dc.identifier.issn |
1608-9685 (print) |
|
dc.identifier.issn |
2078-6786 (online) |
|
dc.identifier.other |
10.7196/SAJP.358 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/20920 |
|
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_US |
dc.publisher |
Health and Medical Publishing Group |
en_US |
dc.rights |
Health and Medical Publishing Group |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Psychiatric inpatients |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Syphilis |
en_US |
dc.subject.lcsh |
Mental health services -- South Africa |
en |
dc.subject.lcsh |
Syphilis -- Diagnosis -- South Africa |
en |
dc.title |
Syphilis sero-positivity in recently admitted and long inpatients : screening, prevalence and diagnostic profile |
en_US |
dc.type |
Article |
en_US |