Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32163642›Full record

ArticleJournal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV2020

The importance of proper and prompt treatment of ocular syphilis: a lesson from permanent vision loss in 52 eyes.

X Gu, Y Gao, Y Yan, M Marks, L Zhu, H Lu, Z Guan, M Shi, L Ni, R Peng and 7 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Putative mechanisms of ocular inflammation in syphilis.Journal of ophthalmic inflammation and infection · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Observational
  5. Article
  6. Observational
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Persistent syphilitic ocular manifestations despite treatment: a case series.Journal of ophthalmic inflammation and infection · 2024
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Ocular syphilis in antibiotic era.Indian journal of sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

X GuSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Y GaoSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Y YanDepartment of Ophthalmology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
M MarksDepartment of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
L ZhuSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
H LuSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Z GuanSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
M ShiSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
L NiSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
R PengSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
W ZhaoSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
J WuSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
T QiSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
S LuSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Y QianSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
W GongSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
P ZhouSexually Transmitted Disease Institute, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1397-300X
Tongji University · CNLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBRenji Hospital · CN

Funding

National megaproject on key infectious diseases 2017ZX10202102-001-007National Natural Science Foundation of China 81572039Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality 16411961300Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality 17DZ2293300Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality YDZX20193100002868Shanghai Hospital Development Center 16CR1029BShanghai Hospital Development Center 16CR3111BShanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning 20164Y0260
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOcular involvement can occur at any stage of syphilis. Prompt diagnosis and proper treatment of ocular syphilis are vital to avoid long-term consequences.

objectivesTo describe the risk factors for ocular syphilis and clinical features of blindness caused by syphilis.

methodsWe report risk factors for ocular syphilis amongst patients seen at the Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital between October 2009 and October 2017. We identify patients with ocular syphilis resulting in blindness and report the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings and treatment outcomes of these patients.

resultsA total of 8310 new cases of syphilis were seen, of which 213 patients had ocular disease and 50 patients had blindness due to syphilis. Increasing age and higher RPR titres were associated with ocular involvement but there was no association with HIV status. Blindness in syphilis was restricted predominantly to patients with optic nerve involvement and not patients with isolated uveitis. Fifty patients (and a total of 67 eyes) met the WHO definition of blindness prior to treatment for syphilis. At the end of follow-up, vision had improved in 24 of 67 eyes (35.8%) after treatment. Successful treatment of uveitis was associated with the best improvement in visual acuity, whilst patient with underlying optic atrophy prior to treatment had the worst visual outcome.

conclusionsOcular involvement is an important manifestation of syphilis which may result in blindness. Our data demonstrate outcomes for ocular syphilis are poor if detected late; early recognition and diagnosis is therefore vital to avoid permanent visual loss.

Indexed as

Eye Infections, BacterialSyphilisBlindnessChinaHumansRetrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID32163642
PMCPMC7496700
OpenAlexW3011904998

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.