Cohort study
Syphilis and cardiovascular risk: a Taiwanese registry
- Retrospective cohort study
- frequency matched
- national registry
Authors' conclusion
This study demonstrates that patients with syphilis have a higher risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality compared with those without syphilis.
Study context
- Population
- Adults ≥20 years without HIV or prior CVD, Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database linked to notifiable infectious diseases database, 2010–2015frequency matched
- Participants
- 20,601 vs 20,601
- Exposure
- Syphilis vs no syphilis
- Syphilisn = 20,601
- Non-syphilisn = 20,601reference
- Outcome
- New-onset MI, HF, aortic regurgitation, aortic aneurysm and dissection, AF, ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic stroke, VTE, CV death and all-cause mortality
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- acute MI
- RR 38% (95% CI 1.19–1.60); P < 0.001
- HF
- RR 88% (95% CI 1.64–2.14); P < 0.001
- aortic regurgitation
- RR 81% (95% CI 1.18–2.75); P = 0.006
- AF
- RR 45% (95% CI 1.20–1.76); P < 0.001
- ischaemic stroke
- RR 68% (95% CI 1.52–1.87); P < 0.001
- haemorrhagic stroke
- RR 114% (95% CI 1.74–2.64); P < 0.001
- VTE
- RR 67% (95% CI 1.23–2.26); P = 0.001
- CV death
- RR 155% (95% CI 2.11–3.08); P < 0.001
- all-cause death
- RR 196% (95% CI 2.74–3.19); P < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Syphilis and cardiovascular risk: a Taiwanese registry. Eur Heart J. Published 3 April 2024. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehae183
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it