Syphilis

Titre stuck at a low number for a year. Is this the serofast thing?

Treated well over a year ago. The number dropped and then stopped at a low level and has not moved across two tests. My doctor used the word serofast and did not seem worried. I would like to understand it.

third_shift 1 month ago

NoteMember experience, not medical advice. Symptoms overlap between infections and only a test can tell them apart.

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northwindow 1 month ago

Serofast is the term for exactly what you are describing: a low titre that stays reactive and stops falling after treatment, rather than going fully negative.

It is common enough to have its own name. A meaningful proportion of people treated for early syphilis do not achieve the expected fourfold drop within twelve months, and low starting titres are less likely to fall dramatically in the first place.

still_water 1 month ago

The reason your doctor is relaxed is that a stable low titre is a different thing from a rising one. A four fold rise is what would prompt them to think about reinfection or treatment failure. Stable is being watched, not ignored.

riverbank9 1 month ago

The practical consequence is that you may test reactive for years, possibly for life. Worth knowing before it comes up in some future screening and frightens you, and worth telling any new clinician about your treatment history so it is read correctly.

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