Abstract: Objective To analyze the hospitalization expenses and associated influencing factors for syphilis cases in Yunnan Province, thereby providing a reference for the rational control of inpatient costs. Methods Data were extracted from the front pages of medical records for syphilis inpatients in Yunnan Province between January 2018 and December 2021. Line graphs were employed to illustrate the temporal trends of various hospitalization cost components. An ordered multinomial logistic regression model was utilized to analyze the factors influencing total hospitalization expenses. Results A total of 1 083 syphilis hospitalizations were recorded in Yunnan Province from 2018 to 2021. The total hospitalization costs remained relatively stable during this period. While expenditures on Western and traditional Chinese medicines demonstrated a downward trend, costs associated with diagnostics and medical consumables exhibited a sustained increase. The ordered multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that, in comparison to cases with unclassified syphilis, the odds of incurring higher hospitalization costs were 4.265 times greater for neurosyphilis (95% CI: 2.622-6.936), 2.983 times greater for congenital syphilis (95% CI: 1.407-6.325), and 1.595 times greater for latent syphilis (95% CI: 1.068-2.382). Relative to a length of stay of ≤5 days, the odds of higher expenses were 5.734 times greater for hospitalizations of 6-13 days (95% CI: 4.024-8.171) and 65.720 times greater for stays exceeding 13 days (95% CI: 42.374-101.930). Furthermore, patients who were divorced, widowed, or of other marital statuses had 2.077 times the odds of higher hospitalization costs compared to unmarried patients (95% CI: 1.049-4.111) (all P<0.05). Conclusion Although the overall hospitalization expenses for syphilis cases in Yunnan Province have remained relatively stable, the control over diagnostic and consumable costs has been inadequate. Syphilis classification, length of hospital stay, and marital status were identified as significant factors associated with hospitalization expenses. It is recommended that the promotion of low-cost diagnostic methods be pursued to reduce inpatient costs. Additionally, enhanced efforts in early screening, diagnosis, and treatment of syphilis are crucial to mitigate disease severity, consequently shortening the length of hospitalization and controlling associated expenditures.

Key words: Syphilis cases, Hospitalization expenses, Influencing factors