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Table 1 Clinical characteristics and laboratory features of patients without or with latent syphilis or neurosyphilis

From: Clinical and laboratory features in patients with positive syphilis serology presenting with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack: a prospective cohort study

 

1. Controls

2. Latent syphilis

3. Neurosyphilis

p-value#

P1 (1 vs 2)

P2 (1 vs 3)

P3 (2 vs 3)

n

288

45

11

    

Male sex, n (%)

171 (59.4%)

30 (66.7%)

8 (72.7%)

0.460

0.35

0.38

0.70

Age, mean ± SD (years)

63.07 ± 15.20

73.09 ± 12.55

79.82 ± 8.54

 < 0.001

 < 0.001

 < 0.001

0.099

TIA, n (%)

17 (5.9%)

0 (0.0%)

0 (0.0%)

0.262

0.14

1.00

 

HIV-positive, n/tested patients (%)

1/66 (1.5%)

0/25 (0.0%)

0/5 (0.0%)

1.000

1.00

1.00

 

Stroke risk factor

       

Diabetes mellitus, n (%)

90 (31.3%)

9 (20.0%)

2 (18.2%)

0.217

0.12

0.36

0.89

Hypertension, n (%)

184 (63.9%)

28 (62.2%)

8 (72.7%)

0.808

0.83

0.55

0.51

Chronic kidney disease, n (%)

53 (18.4%)

14 (31.1%)

4 (36.4%)

0.062

0.048

0.14

0.74

Dyslipidemia, n (%)

128 (44.4%)

18 (40.0%)

5 (45.5%)

0.851

0.58

0.95

0.74

Atrial fibrillation, n (%)

47 (16.3%)

6 (13.3%)

3 (27.3%)

0.532

0.61

0.34

0.26

Smoking, n (%)

121 (42.0%)

16 (35.6%)

3 (27.3%)

0.481

0.52

0.37

0.73

Stroke symptoms

       

Motor weakness, n (%)

263 (91.3%)

42 (93.3%)

10 (90.9%)

1.000

1.00

1.00

1.00

Visual disturbance, n (%)

70 (24.3%)

8 (17.8%)

3 (27.3%)

0.604

0.34

0.82

0.48

Vertigo, n (%)

86 (29.9%)

8 (17.8%)

2 (18.2%)

0.187

0.094

0.40

0.97

Sensory abnormalities, n (%)

140 (48.6%)

18 (40.0%)

7 (63.6%)

0.321

0.28

0.33

0.16

Language, n (%)

61 (21.2%)

13 (28.9%)

1 (9.1%)

0.296

0.30

0.47

0.26

Dysarthria, n (%)

212 (73.6%)

35 (77.8%)

5 (45.5%)

0.089

0.55

0.040

0.033

Location of acute lesion from imaging

   

0.591

0.880

0.27

0.28

Middle cerebral artery, n (%)

97 (33.7%)

15 (33.3)

2 (18.2%)

    

Anterior cerebral artery, n (%)

4 (1.4%)

0 (0.0%)

0 (0.0%)

    

Posterior cerebral artery, n (%)

10 (3.5%)

0 (0.0%)

0 (0.0%)

    

Basilar artery, n (%)

8 (2.8%)

1 (2.2%)

1 (9.1%)

    

Subcortical white matter, n (%)

41 (14.2%)

9 (20.0%)

3 (27.3%)

    

Posterior limb of internal capsule, n (%)

28 (9.7%)

6 (13.3%)

0 (0.0%)

    

Basal ganglia, n (%)

33 (11.5%)

4 (8.9%)

0 (0.0%)

    

Others, n (%)

43 (14.9%)

8 (17.8%)

3 (27.3%)

    

Not identified, n (%)

24 (8.3%)

2 (4.4%)

2 (18.2%)

    

Old cerebral infarction on imaging, n (%)

103 (35.8%)

26 (57.8%)

5 (45.5%)

0.017

0.005

0.51

0.46

Generalized brain atrophy on imaging, n (%)

100 (34.7%)

28 (62.2%)

8 (72.7%)

 < 0.001

 < 0.001

0.010

0.51

History of syphilis symptoms

       

Chancre, n (%)

9 (3.1%)

3 (6.7%)

0 (0.0%)

0.470

0.21

1.00

1.00

Oral ulcer, n (%)

8 (2.8%)

1 (2.2%)

0 (0.0%)

1.000

1.00

1.00

1.00

Rash, n (%)

16 (5.6%)

4 (8.9%)

0 (0.0%)

0.472

0.33

1.00

0.58

Alopecia, n (%)

7 (2.4%)

8 (17.8%)

0 (0.0%)

 < 0.001

 < 0.001

1.00

0.33

Lymphadenopathy, n (%)

0 (0.0%)

1 (2.2%)

0 (0.0%)

0.163

0.14

 

1.00

Urogenital wart, n (%)

6 (2.1%)

1 (2.2%)

0 (0.0%)

1.000

1.00

1.00

1.00

Mucocutaneous lesion, n (%)

3 (1.0%)

1 (2.2%)

0 (0.0%)

0.510

0.44

1.00

1.00

At least one previous syphilitic symptom, n (%) *

43 (14.9%)

13 (28.9%)

0 (0.0%)

0.021

0.020

0.17

0.042

Initial evaluation

       

Initial plasma glucose (mg/dL), median (P25, P75)

106 (90, 143)

107 (95, 145)

100 (91, 127)

0.486

0.29

0.64

0.28

Hemoglobin (g/dL), median (P25, P75)

13.00 (12.00, 14.20)

13.00 (12.00, 14.00)

12.80 (10.80, 14.00)

0.478

0.28

0.52

0.99

Hematocrit (%), median (P25, P75)

39.00 (35.00, 42.45)

37.70 (32.00, 39.80)

38.00 (32.40, 42.00)

0.061

0.019

0.61

0.46

White blood cell count (cells/mm3), median (P25, P75)

8445 (6880, 10,905)

8680 (6490, 11,260)

10,060 (6640, 11,140)

0.913

0.85

0.70

0.74

Platelet count (cells/mm3), median (P25, P75)

252,000 (210,000, 304,750)

229,000 (190,500, 306,000)

205,000 (165,000, 252,000)

0.027

0.092

0.026

0.27

PT (s), median (P25, P75)

10.95 (10.00, 11.50)

11.00 (10.30, 11.60)

11.00 (10.80, 11.60)

0.470

0.28

0.50

0.98

PTT (s), median (P25, P75)

24.00 (22.00, 26.00)

23.50 (22.80, 25.30)

22.80 (21.00, 25.50)

0.418

0.65

0.22

0.19

LDL (mg/dL), median (P25, P75)

111.0 (80.5, 141.0)

104.0 (75.0, 126.0)

87.0 (84.0, 109.0)

0.355

0.58

0.18

0.27

BUN (mg/dL), median (P25, P75)

14 (11, 17)

15 (11, 18)

18 (13, 26)

0.072

0.16

0.058

0.26

Cr (mg/dL), median (P25, P75)

0.89 (0.70, 1.00)

0.93 (0.80, 1.14)

0.90 (0.84, 1.54)

0.025

0.030

0.073

0.58

GFR (ml/min), median (P25, P75)

87 (66, 98)

74 (56, 88)

78 (35, 84)

 < 0.001

0.003

0.011

0.35

  1. BUN blood urea nitrogen, Cr creatinine, GFR glomerular filtration rate, HIV human immunodeficiency virus, INR international normalized ratio, LDL low-density lipoprotein, n number, P1 controls compared with latent syphilis, P2 controls compared with neurosyphilis, P3 latent syphilis compared with neurosyphilis, P25 25th percentile, P75 75th percentile, PT prothrombin time, PTT partial thromboplastin time, SD standard deviation, TIA transient ischemic attack. Unadjusted pairwise comparisons are reported, and once Bonferroni’s adjustment has been applied, the p-value required for denoting statistical significance is 0.016
  2. *Symptoms include chancre, oral ulcer, rash, alopecia, lymphadenopathy, urogenital wart, and mucocutaneous lesion.
  3. #A Chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test was performed to assess the association between qualitative clinical characteristics and laboratory features of the patients, such as patient sex, and three syphilis groups according to their serological results: control, LS, and NS. A one-way ANOVA or the Kruskal–Wallis H test was used to compare mean or median of the quantitative data between the three groups
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BMC Infectious Diseases

ISSN: 1471-2334

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