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Syphilis and HIV – The Intersection of Two Epidemics

What Is the Connection Between Syphilis and HIV?

Syphilis and HIV are both infections which will therefore increase the viral load in one’s body. Having both conditions will increase HIV transmission and reduce the effectiveness of syphilis treatment. Let’s discuss more details on the connection between syphilis and HIV.

Syphilis Makes One More Liable to Contracting HIV

Having syphilis alone can increase your risk of contracting HIV. This is because of the sores and inflammation caused by syphilis which makes it easier for HIV to enter your body. A meta-analysis done in 2020 involving 65,232 individuals proved that people with syphilis were more likely to get HIV than does without.

Another 2020 study also discovered that repeat syphilis infection in HIV-positive individuals increased over the 11 years of follow-up. Certain factors that contributed to the repeat syphilis include:

  • Being male at birth
  • Younger age
  • Previous history of any STIs

Syphilis and HIV both share the same risk factors when it comes to sex, which includes having unprotected sex and having too many sexual partners.