NEW YORK — Syphilis hair restoration is a long-standing treatment for people with mild to moderate cases of the disease, and it is costing $8.1 million annually in the U.S. for treatments of hair loss and other hair-related illnesses, according to a new study by researchers at Yale University.
The study is published online in the journal PLOS ONE.
It looked at about 4.2 million people in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is the largest nationwide survey of people living with the disease.
The study is the first to look at total costs associated with syphilis hair removal.
The researchers say the costs of hair replacement may vary widely depending on whether a person has untreated syphilis or not.
For example, people who had not had syphilis for two years may have the most expensive treatment, but that person may also have more expensive treatments for other conditions such as psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis, which are associated with increased risk of complications of the illness.
The cost of hair removal is also higher in older adults and women, the researchers say.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), a survey that asks about health and economic issues in the household.
For those aged 65 and older, the average cost of treatment for syphilis was $5,879, the study found.
For women aged 18 to 44, the cost of the average treatment for the condition was $2,087, while for men aged 45 to 64, the costs ranged from $1,086 to $4,919.
For men in their 20s, the annual cost for treatment was $873.
For women in their 30s, it was $1:1, or $1.23 a day, for treatment of syphilis.
For both men and women aged 65 or older, treatment costs were lower for men with untreated syphilitic infection than those without, the report found.
While most people with syphilis do not have syphilis, people with the condition can develop symptoms of the infection, including fever, fatigue, low libido, and difficulty sleeping.
The disease can also cause pain and other symptoms.
Syphilis infections affect nearly 2 million people worldwide.
The disease affects the immune system and can cause scarring of the scalp, scalp and head.
The condition is particularly common in people with compromised immune systems and people who live in areas with high rates of syphillis.