Background@#
Syphilis is an infectious and
sexually transmitted disease caused by
Treponema pallidum. The
diagnosis and
treatment of
syphilis may be delayed because of the various clinical features. @*Objective@#The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiological changes and clinical features of
syphilis in
Korea. @*
Methods@#We conducted a retrospective
analysis of 303 subjects with positive
venereal disease research laboratories results, including 208
syphilis patients who visited the
Dermatology Department of Chosun
University Hospital between 2008 and 2019. The
analysis was performed based on variables, such as age,
sex, serological results, and clinical stages. @*Results@#During the study period, the mean reactive rate of the
serum venereal disease research laboratories test was 0.14%, and the annual
incidence rate tended to decrease. Of the 208
syphilis patients, the
malefemale ratio was 12.7 among those
aged 0 to 19 years and 2.31 among those
aged 50 to 59 years. Eighty-six
patients (41.3%) were diagnosed with symptomatic
syphilis, which accounted for the highest proportion (63.6%) among those
aged 0 to 19 years. The
incidence tended to decrease with increasing age (p<0.001). Maculopapular
syphilis was the most commonly observed form of
secondary syphilis (44.6%). One hundred and twenty-two
patients (58.7%) were diagnosed with latent
syphilis, and the rate tended to increase with age (p<0.001). @*Conclusion@#Although the number of
patients with
syphilis is declining, the number of young and
female patients is increasing compared to the past. Therefore,
education and caution against
syphilis by
dermatologists may be necessary, especially for younger people.