Syphilis is a disease that has been around for a long time and that continues to challenge clinicians, including obstetricians.1 Maternal syphilis has a severe impact on pregnancy outcome, primarily as spontaneous abortion, still birth and congenital syphilis.2 Screening of asymptomatic antenatal women is recommended to prevent perinatal complications.3 In developing countries such as India, screening for syphilis during pregnancy is carried out by Veneral Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) tests. We undertook this retrospective study to analyse trends in syphilis prevalence among antenatal women in a tertiary care hospital of north India. Laboratory log books of antenatal syphilis testing from 1996–2005 were reviewed. A total of 40 511 serum samples were obtained from pregnant women attending (during the period January 1996 to …
