Frequency of syphilis among antenatal clinic attendee in combined military hospital Abbottabad

ABSTRACT

Frequency of syphilis among pregnant women attending Combined Military Hospital Abbottabad Descriptive study. A screening for syphilis of 500 married pregnant women presenting to antenatal clinics was carried out using the qualitative Rapid Plasma Regent [RPR] test/ Venereal Disease Research Laboratory [VDRL] test. The Treponema Palladium Haem-Agglutination Assay [TPHA] test was used as confirmatory test for all Venereal Disease Research Laboratory [VDRL] test positive cases. A total of 8 women [1.6%] were positive for Venereal Disease Research Laboratory [VDRL] test. Out of these 4 [0.8%] were positive for Treponema Palladium Haem-Agglutination Assay [TPHA] test. All of these cases have bad obstetrical history. The sero-positivity of Venereal Disease Research Laboratory [VDRL] test is [1.6%], considered high among pregnant women reporting in obstetrics clinics of Combined Military Hospital Abbottabad. Similarly sero-positivity of Treponema Palladium Haem-Agglutination Assay [TPHA] test is [0.8%] considered high among the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory [VDRL] test population. Therefore Screening of syphilis in pregnancy especially in patients having bad obstetrical history [BOH] should be incorporated into the study