Huang Yanhui, Ye Yunfeng, Li Limei, Zhou Zhiheng
Public Health Service Center, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China.
Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Hospital of Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jul 8;13:1580964. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1580964. eCollection 2025.
Syphilis represents a significant sexual health concern for women of childbearing age (WCBA) worldwide. However, information regarded the burden and trends associated with this disease is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in syphilis burden among WCBA aged 15-49 years from 1990 to 2021 at global, regional, and national levels.
The extensive information was gathered from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database concerning the incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) related to syphilis in WCBA aged 15-49 across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. To quantify temporal trends, the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated in age-standardized rate (ASR) for incidence, prevalence, and DALYs based on age group, region, and sociodemographic index (SDI). The relationship between ASR and SDI was examined using spearman correlation analysis.
In 2021, there were 20.48 million prevalent cases, 5.36 million new syphilis cases, and 39.59 thousand DALYs among WCBA, reflecting increases of 45.85, 46.96, and 16.08%, respectively, since 1990. Over 32 years, global rates of prevalence, incidence, and DALYs declined, with EAPCs of -0.50, -0.35, and -1.30. However, high-middle SDI regions experienced rising trends in incidence (EAPC: 0.28) and prevalence (EAPC: 0.22). The Low-middle SDI region had the highest syphilis cases among WCBA, accounting for about one-third of the global total. Notably, the 20-24 age group had the highest incidence rate at 467.35 per 100,000.
Our findings highlight a decline in the global prevalence of syphilis from 1990 to 2021, the burden of this disease remains significant in low-and middle-income countries and regions. The development of more effective strategies to prevent and reduce the burden of syphilis is a pressing need.
梅毒是全球育龄妇女（WCBA）性健康的一个重大问题。然而，关于这种疾病的负担和趋势的信息有限。本研究旨在评估1990年至2021年全球、区域和国家层面15至49岁育龄妇女梅毒负担的变化。
从全球疾病负担（GBD）2021数据库收集了1990年至2021年期间204个国家和地区15至49岁育龄妇女中与梅毒相关的发病率、患病率和伤残调整生命年（DALY）的广泛信息。为了量化时间趋势，根据年龄组、地区和社会人口指数（SDI）计算了发病率、患病率和DALY的年龄标准化率（ASR）的估计年百分比变化（EAPC）。使用斯皮尔曼相关性分析检查ASR与SDI之间的关系。
2021年，育龄妇女中有2048万例梅毒现患病例、536万例新梅毒病例和39590例伤残调整生命年，自1990年以来分别增长了45.85%、46.96%和16.08%。在32年中，全球梅毒患病率、发病率和伤残调整生命年率有所下降，EAPC分别为-0.50、-0.35和-1.30。然而，高中等社会人口指数地区的发病率（EAPC：0.28）和患病率（EAPC：0.22）呈上升趋势。低中等社会人口指数地区的育龄妇女梅毒病例数最多，约占全球总数的三分之一。值得注意的是，20至24岁年龄组的发病率最高，为每10万人467.35例。
我们的研究结果表明，1990年至2021年全球梅毒患病率有所下降，但这种疾病在低收入和中等收入国家及地区的负担仍然很重。迫切需要制定更有效的策略来预防和减轻梅毒负担。
