The prevalence of syphilis in HIV-seropositive patients: a retrospective study at the regional hospital in Agadir, Morocco

Abstract

Introduction: HIV and syphilis are major public health problems in Morocco. This southwestern part of Morocco accounted for 24% of the country's HIV registered cases in 2009. This study aims to evaluate the seroprevalence of syphilis among an HIV-positive population in the region of Souss-Massa. Methods: to evaluate the seroprevalence of syphilis and neurosyphilis among HIV seropositive patients, we retrospectively investigated the medical records of HIV-infected patients attending the regional hospital located in the city of Agadir, during the period comprised between 2011 and 2016. Results: a study population of 1381 males (49.18%) and 1427 females (50.82%) were found to be seropositive for HIV infection. Of these 2808 HIV seropositive patients, 481 were seropositive for syphilis and three cases were diagnosed with neurosyphilis. The sex ratio distribution was 243 male (52.71%) and 218 female (47.29%). The prevalence of syphilis among the studied population was estimated to 16.42% with a slight dominance in male (17.63%) compared to female (15.28%). By contrast, neurosyphilis was only detected in male patients, with a prevalence estimated at 0.11%. Conclusion: although the prevalence of HIV and syphilis is stable in the Souss-Massa population, the prevalence of syphilis among HIV patients remained high and correlated positively with that of HIV infection. We did not find a significant difference between the genders in the prevalence of HIV and syphilis. We concluded that it was essential to continue monitoring the population, in order to improve the prevention and access to the medical care in the south-west of Morocco.