THE FEATURES OF SOCIAL ADAPTATION AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN PATIENTS WITH SYPHILIS AND SYPHILIS-HIV CO-INFECTION
Introduction. Syphilis and HIV co-infection has been on the rise in recent yearsall over the world, especially in high-income countries. Both infections affect similar populations and have similar risk factors and routes of transmission. The study of sexual behavior in these cohorts of patients can form the basis for the development of methods for the prevention of syphilis and syphilis-HIV co-infection.The objective of study was to analyze the social adaptation and the features of sexual behavior in patients with syphilis and syphilis-HIV co-infection.Organization and methods. The anonymous survey was used to estimate 53 patients treated for syphilis at the St. Petersburg City Dermatovenerological Dispensary in 2022. Twenty-seven of them were HIV-infected and constituted the main group of patients. The comparison group included 26 patients with syphilis without HIV infection. The questionnaire includes information about the social adaptation and the features of sexual behavior.Results. The majority of patients in both groups had all signs of high social adaptation, but the patients of main group less often had own family. The vast majority of patients in both groups were characterized by risky sexual behavior. Patients with syphilis-HIV co-infection significantly more often reported about having more than 3 sexual partners in the past 6 months (81.5% and 53, 8%, χ2=6,173, р=0,013), about group sex (59.3% and 26.9%, χ2=5,638, р=0,018) and homosexual sexual contacts (70.4% and 46.2%, χ2=4,246 p=0,039) than patients of the comparison group. Almost all patients in the main group (88, 9%, 42,3%, χ2=12,814, р=0,001) had experienced casual unprotected oral intercourse in the past 6 months.Conclusion. As a result, we can highlight a few behavioral features which are more common in patients with syphilis-HIV co-infection. Patients with syphilis-HIV co-infection significantly more frequently reported about multiple sexual contacts in the last 6 month, about group sexual contacts, about homosexual practice. Also the overwhelming majority of the main group patients had casual unprotected oral contacts.