Increased transmission and incidence of syphilis in southern Sweden 2007–2022
Winqvist, Niclas LU ; Almqvist, Edith ; Andreasson, Julia ; Henriksson, Gunnel LU ; Hagstam, Per LU ; Johnsson, Annika LU and Reepalu, Anton LU
(2025)
In Epidemiology and Infection
154.
- Abstract
Syphilis has re-emerged as a public health threat during the 21st century, and updated knowledge of the epidemic and its drivers is needed to halt this worrying development. We present data on the incidence of syphilis in the south Swedish region Skåne from 2007 to 2022 to determine the burden of disease, changes in risk groups, as well as routes for testing. To get a picture of the burden of syphilis, both early (notifiable) syphilis and cases of non-notifiable (late) symptomatic syphilis were included in this register-based study. Mann–Kendall trend analysis (MK) was used to determine statistical significance over time. In all, 584 cases of syphilis were included in the study. The overall syphilis incidence in Skåne increased from 3.1... (More)
Syphilis has re-emerged as a public health threat during the 21st century, and updated knowledge of the epidemic and its drivers is needed to halt this worrying development. We present data on the incidence of syphilis in the south Swedish region Skåne from 2007 to 2022 to determine the burden of disease, changes in risk groups, as well as routes for testing. To get a picture of the burden of syphilis, both early (notifiable) syphilis and cases of non-notifiable (late) symptomatic syphilis were included in this register-based study. Mann–Kendall trend analysis (MK) was used to determine statistical significance over time. In all, 584 cases of syphilis were included in the study. The overall syphilis incidence in Skåne increased from 3.1 cases/100000 population in 2007 to 6.3 in 2022 (MK z-stat: 2.57; p = 0.010). The highest increase in absolute numbers was among men who have sex with men (MSM), from eight cases annually in 2007 to 62 in 2022, but also for heterosexually transmitted men and women, with under ten cases yearly from 2007 through 2019 to 22 cases in 2022. We also found that transmission within Sweden was common, indicating that local measures are needed to curb this epidemic.
(Less)
- author
- Winqvist, Niclas
LU
; Almqvist, Edith
; Andreasson, Julia
; Henriksson, Gunnel
LU
; Hagstam, Per
LU
; Johnsson, Annika
LU
and Reepalu, Anton
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-12-23
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Epidemiology, men who have sex with men (MSM), Risk groups, sexually transmitted infections (STI), Sweden, Syphilis
- in
- Epidemiology and Infection
- volume
- 154
- article number
- e1
- publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105026480778
- pmid:41431878
- ISSN
- 0950-2688
- DOI
- 10.1017/S095026882510085X
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press.
- id
- c12541da-ce09-4529-8417-9393f2309dff
- date added to LUP
- 2026-02-10 15:34:49
- date last changed
- 2026-06-03 06:56:31
@article{c12541da-ce09-4529-8417-9393f2309dff,
abstract = {{<p>Syphilis has re-emerged as a public health threat during the 21st century, and updated knowledge of the epidemic and its drivers is needed to halt this worrying development. We present data on the incidence of syphilis in the south Swedish region Skåne from 2007 to 2022 to determine the burden of disease, changes in risk groups, as well as routes for testing. To get a picture of the burden of syphilis, both early (notifiable) syphilis and cases of non-notifiable (late) symptomatic syphilis were included in this register-based study. Mann–Kendall trend analysis (MK) was used to determine statistical significance over time. In all, 584 cases of syphilis were included in the study. The overall syphilis incidence in Skåne increased from 3.1 cases/100000 population in 2007 to 6.3 in 2022 (MK z-stat: 2.57; p = 0.010). The highest increase in absolute numbers was among men who have sex with men (MSM), from eight cases annually in 2007 to 62 in 2022, but also for heterosexually transmitted men and women, with under ten cases yearly from 2007 through 2019 to 22 cases in 2022. We also found that transmission within Sweden was common, indicating that local measures are needed to curb this epidemic.</p>}},
author = {{Winqvist, Niclas and Almqvist, Edith and Andreasson, Julia and Henriksson, Gunnel and Hagstam, Per and Johnsson, Annika and Reepalu, Anton}},
issn = {{0950-2688}},
keywords = {{Epidemiology; men who have sex with men (MSM); Risk groups; sexually transmitted infections (STI); Sweden; Syphilis}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{12}},
publisher = {{Cambridge University Press}},
series = {{Epidemiology and Infection}},
title = {{Increased transmission and incidence of syphilis in southern Sweden 2007–2022}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S095026882510085X}},
doi = {{10.1017/S095026882510085X}},
volume = {{154}},
year = {{2025}},
}