Correlation between visual recovery and non-treponemal serologic test titers in ocular syphilis patients
10.3760/cma.j.cn431274-20250207-00141
- VernacularTitle:眼梅毒患者视力恢复与非梅毒螺旋体血清学试验滴度的相关性
- Author:
Yahan WANG
1
;
Fanghua HE
;
Chongke ZHONG
;
Yuxuan XU
;
Yating XU
;
Yunhai ZHANG
;
Minzhi WU
;
Wei XIA
Author Information
1. 苏州大学附属第四医院（苏州市独墅湖医院）眼科，苏州 215000
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Neurosyphilis;
Ocular syphilis;
Vision Tests;
Non-treponema pallidum antigen serologic test
- From:
Journal of Chinese Physician
2025;27(5):654-657
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the relationship between visual recovery and non-treponemal serologic test titers [tolulized red unheated serum test (TRUST) or rapid plasma reagin (RPR)] in patients with isolated ocular syphilis and those with ocular syphilis combined with neurosyphilis.Methods:A total of 35 ocular syphilis patients treated at the Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, and the Department of Dermatology, the Fifth People′s Hospital of Suzhou between 2016 and 2024 were enrolled. Pre-treatment serum TRUST/RPR and treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) assay results were collected for all 35 patients. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biochemical, routine, TRUST/RPR, and TPPA results were obtained for 29 patients. Visual acuity (logMAR) before and after treatment was recorded for 21 patients (34 eyes). Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between pre-and post-treatment visual acuity, degree of visual recovery, and serum titers.Results:No significant differences in titer distribution were observed among the 35 ocular syphilis patients based on age or sex ( P>0.05). Among the 29 patients who underwent lumbar puncture, 17(58.62%) were diagnosed with ocular syphilis combined with neurosyphilis, while 12(41.38%) had isolated ocular syphilis. The proportion of patients with high pre-treatment serum titers did not differ significantly between the two groups ( P=0.294). The degree of post-treatment visual recovery showed a positive correlation with pre-treatment serum titers, indicating that higher initial titers were associated with better visual recovery (34 eyes, r=-0.302, P=0.081). Post-treatment visual acuity was positively correlated with pre-treatment visual acuity (34 eyes, r=0.547, P=0.001), suggesting that patients with poor baseline vision had worse post-treatment visual outcomes. The median visual improvement was logMAR 0.560 in the isolated ocular syphilis group and logMAR 0.202 in the neurosyphilis-combined group, with no significant difference between the two ( P=0.322). Conclusions:Ocular syphilis patients with higher pre-treatment titers exhibit better visual recovery, while poor post-treatment visual outcomes are associated with low baseline visual acuity.
