TRENDS IN THE PREVALENCE OF SYPHILIS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN SHANDONG, CHINA.

The epidemiology of syphilis among older adults in China has not been well studied. We studied changes over time in the prevalence of syphilis among older adults in Shandong, China to inform a syphilis intervention program in order to develop management strategies. We retrospectively reviewed passive surveillance data of syphilis among older adults in Shandong, China during 2008-2013, reported by clinicians in medical facilities. The data included the stage of syphilis, age of patient and gender by year. The prevalences for first, second, latent and overall syphilis by age among adults aged ≥60 years in Shandong were 0.92, 0.70, 2.37 and 3.92 cases per 100,000 population in 2008 and 2.66, 1.99, 9.11 and 13.95 cases per 100,000 population in 2013; giving average yearly increases of 23.66%, 23.24%, 30.90% and 28.90%, respectively. The reported overall prevalence of syphilis among those aged ≥80 years was greater than the general population (8.25 vs 4.38 cases per 100,000 population in 2008; 21.99 vs 13.95 cases per 100,000 population in 2013). The prevalence of syphilis is increasing in the study population. Age appropriate interventions are needed to reduce the prevalence of syphilis in the study population.