Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34809778›Full record

Observational studyClinics in dermatology

Syphilis and the COVID-19 pandemic: Did the lockdown stop risky sexual behavior?

Filippo Bonato, Caterina Ferreli, Roberta Satta, Franco Rongioletti, Laura Atzori

Open access · greenAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Clinics in dermatology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
2.4field-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

12 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. The Resurgence ofInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2024
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Observational
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Syphilis transmission: Exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic?Ethics, medicine, and public health · 2022
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Syphilis resurgence: Exploring the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.Indian journal of sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Filippo BonatoDermatology Clinic, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: filippomaria.bonato@gmail.com.
Caterina FerreliDermatology Clinic, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: ferreli@unica.it.
Roberta SattaDermatology Clinic, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: roalesat@yahoo.it.
Franco RongiolettiDermatology Clinic, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: rongioletti@unica.it.
Laura AtzoriDermatology Clinic, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: atzoril@unica.it.
University of Cagliari · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Restrictive measures to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic might produce different effects on other infective diseases, especially those affecting the most intimate sphere of sexuality. The epidemiology of syphilis could reflect the consequences of whether people are avoiding or not risky behaviors. To understand the course of syphilis during the COVID-19 outbreak, we performed a retrospective observational study of all new diagnoses observed at the STDs Service of the Dermatology Clinic at Cagliari, part of the Italian sentinel surveillance system. All incident cases diagnosed during the first 6 months of each year, from 2016 to 2020, thus including the recent lockdown period, were retrieved from the database. Of the 87 cases studied, 18 occurred during the first 6 months of 2020, almost all patients (88%) presenting with early phases of the disease and reporting unprotected sexual intercourses in spite of community containment and social distancing. Comparison with the previous 4 years found no significant statistical differences that hospital access and management limitations had not impaired the management of patients with syphilis. We alert the medical community of the possible increase of sexually transmitted diseases, as society returns to normal.

Indexed as

COVID-19SyphilisCommunicable Disease ControlHumansPandemicsSARS-CoV-2Sexual Behavior

Identifiers

PMID34809778
PMCPMC7685935
OpenAlexW3108846010

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.