[Prevalence of false seropositivity for syphilis in a population of pregnant women]

Rev Med Chil. 1992 Oct;120(10):1121-6.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

A retrospective chart review of 439 pregnant women with positive syphilis serology detected with VDRL was made. One hundred twenty two women (27.7%), aged 17 to 43 years and with a gestational age ranging from 8 to 38 weeks, had false positive VDRL tests. None of these patients had a titer over 1:4 and 65% had a weakly reactive VDRL. Forty percent of women were diagnosed as having an early latent syphilis and 20% as late latent syphilis. Due to the high frequency of these later diagnoses in women with VDRL titers below 1:2, with no risk factors and negative sexual partners, post partum follow up is essential to detect cases with false positive FTA-ABs tests.

Publication types

  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • False Positive Reactions
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / blood
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / diagnosis*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Syphilis / blood
  • Syphilis / diagnosis*
  • Syphilis Serodiagnosis / methods*