USPSTF Continues to Recommend Syphilis Screening Early in Pregnancy
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, May 13, 2025 -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for syphilis during pregnancy. This recommendation forms the basis of a final recommendation statement published online May 13 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Gary N. Asher, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues updated the evidence for the benefits and harms of screening and harms of treatment of syphilis during pregnancy to reaffirm the 2018 USPSTF recommendation. The researchers found that no new studies addressed the effectiveness of screening to reduce congenital syphilis or other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Five new studies, with 51,118 participants, addressed the harms of screening, and two, with 130 participants, addressed the harms of treatment. In terms of harms of screening, index test positivity ranged from 1.0 to 4.8 percent, with estimates of false positives varying from 0 to 65 percent. False-positive rates varied substantially using a reverse-sequence, two-step screening process (7 to 65 percent). In terms of treatment harms, 2.5 percent of participants had adverse reactions to standard penicillin provocation or desensitization protocols.
Based on the reaffirmation evidence update, the USPSTF concludes that screening for syphilis infection in pregnancy has a substantial net benefit. Early, universal screening for syphilis infection is recommended; screening should be conducted at the first available opportunity if an individual is not screened early in pregnancy (A recommendation).
"To reverse the uptrend in congenital syphilis, clinicians providing prenatal care must maintain high fidelity to screening guidelines and take responsibility for overcoming the systematic barriers that impede effective syphilis management," write the authors of an accompanying editorial.
Final Recommendation Statement
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2025
Read this next
Increase in Lead Levels Linked to Worse School Academic Performance
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2025 -- A 1-unit increase in lead levels is associated with worse academic performance throughout school grades, according to a study published online May 28 in...
Cardiac Deaths Remain Elevated Since 2020
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2025 -- Cardiac deaths increased substantially starting in 2020, according to a research letter published online May 30 in JAMA Network Open. Jason H. Wasfy...
Parental Education Tied to Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged, Older Adults
WEDNESDAY, June 4, 2025 -- Parental education may protect offspring's cognitive health later in life, according to a study published online May 30 in JAMA Network...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.