Among men who have sex with men, syphilis is more common among men who know that they have HIV. There are a number of possible reasons for this. It may be linked to an increase in HIV positive men having sex without a condom. Having HIV may also make it easier for you to catch syphilis.
If you have HIV, syphilis can get worse faster than if you do not have HIV and it can be harder to treat.
If you do not have HIV, having syphilis can make it easier for you to contract HIV.
You only need to provide one blood sample to enable us to test for both HIV and syphilis.