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Clinical characteristics and outcomes for paediatric patients admitted with congenital or acquired syphilis: a

Robert Brock1, Brett Edwards2,3, Shengjie Lu3

  • 1Department of Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.

Sexually Transmitted Infections
|May 22, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Congenital syphilis in children led to higher healthcare costs and longer hospital stays than acquired syphilis. Preventing congenital syphilis can reduce healthcare burden and expenses.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Health Economics

Background:

  • Paediatric syphilis cases, both congenital and acquired, have risen in the USA since 2012.
  • Previous research has not fully assessed differences in hospitalization trends and healthcare utilization between congenital and acquired syphilis in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare healthcare utilization and costs associated with paediatric congenital and acquired syphilis.
  • To describe the clinical characteristics, geographical distribution, and impact of these two syphilis entities in the USA.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based cohort study utilizing the 2016 Kids' Inpatient Database (KID).
  • Identification and characterization of syphilis-associated hospitalizations in US pediatric patients (0-21 years).
  • Multivariable models were used to compare length of stay and hospitalization costs between congenital and acquired syphilis cohorts.

Main Results:

  • 1226 pediatric hospitalizations for syphilis were identified: 958 congenital and 268 acquired.
  • Congenital syphilis cases incurred higher mean costs ($23,644) and longer stays (8 days longer) compared to acquired syphilis ($10,749).
  • Congenital syphilis showed a higher frequency in the Southern and Western USA regions (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

  • Congenital syphilis is associated with significantly greater healthcare expenditure in pediatric patients compared to acquired syphilis.
  • Effective congenital syphilis prevention strategies hold the potential to substantially decrease healthcare utilization burden and associated costs.
  • Reducing congenital syphilis cases can lead to considerable savings in healthcare resources.
Abstract

Keywords:
infectious diseasesperinatal infectionsyphilis

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