31-Year-Old Woman With Chronic Daily Headache and Alopecia

Cherington, Chad; Ressler, Steven W.

doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2012.09.005

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Neurosyphilis (NS) is the infection of the central nervous system (CNS) by TP and can occur at any time during the course of the disease. Although there are numerous reports of syphilitic alopecia and neurosyphilis, to our knowledge this would be the fourth case with simultaneous presentation of both signs in the same patient [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…So far, VDRL is the only validated test for CSF evaluation. However, it can be non-reactive in up to 50% of cases [6,15]. Consequently, this result does not exclude neurosyphilis, in symptomatic patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Consequently, this result does not exclude neurosyphilis, in symptomatic patients. In addition, in this context, the finding of pleocytosis and a high level of proteins in the CSF are also suggestive of neurosyphilis [6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The first report was of a male patient with alopecia of the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes, oral ulcers, maculopapular rash of the face and HIV infection, and rapid progression to a left ocular panuveitis [5]. The second was a woman with progressive headache and diffuse alopecia [6] and the last case, a 53-year-old woman with patchy alopecia, dysphonia, genital lesions and skin rash [13]. Although neurosyphilis can occur at any stage of the disease, it is more frequent after 2 years of infection (late neurosyphilis) [14].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Syphilitic Alopecia: Report of a Challenging Case and Review of the Literature

2020

J Clin Investig Dermatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Inviting Innovations a history of multiple non specific symptoms that required evaluation of various medical specialties during the last ten years without reaching any conclusive diagnosis. Initially, these symptoms included generalized arthralgia of the cervical spine and shoulder girdle. Later on, the patient presented persistent intense asthenia, myalgia, oppressive holocranial headache, tinnitus, and decreased vision. Symptoms increased insidiously with time.Due to persistence and aggravation of his ocular symptoms, a dilated fundus examination was performed in which papillae edema was observed with small bilateral hemorrhages. A brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without gadolinium, as well as an electroencephalogram was performed, without relevant findings.Laboratory tests showed an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and a positive ANA 1/80. A lumbar puncture was performed that demonstrated discrete pleocytosis (37 leukocytes / mm3, 100% lymphocyte) and mild hyperproteinorrachia (0.55 gr / L). Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test and cultures on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were negative.Subsequently, the patient consulted the dermatology department for scalp alopecia with papular, erythematous and pruritic lesions on the forehead, retro auricular region and on the scalp (Figures 1A,1B). Alopecia was diffuse and in patches predominantly located in the parietal region. Erythematous and asymptomatic macules were also observed in the trunk. He had no lesions in the oral or genital mucosa, palms or soles. Considering secondary syphilis as a differential Case PresentationA 61-year-old male patient presented to the Dermatology Department of the Hospital Universitario Austral (HUA) with a sixmonth history of hair loss and pruritic eruption in the face. He had

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Syphilitic Alopecia: Report of a Challenging Case and Review of the Literature

2020

J Clin Investig Dermatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Changes in neurosyphilis presentation: a survey on 286 patients

Drago

Merlo

Ciccarese

et al. 2016

Acad Dermatol Venereol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although neurosyphilis (NS) keeps plaguing worldwide, often with oligosymptomatic and atypical manifestations, the most recent reports fail to provide useful information, like details of the clinical history and even of the previous early therapy. We conducted a survey of the literature of the last 5 years on the clinical presentation of NS, recording the aforementioned inaccuracies. One hundred and thirty-seven articles were collected, reporting on 286 patients. General paresis was the commonest form (49%), often manifesting with cognitive impairment and psychiatric symptoms. Syphilitic meningitis was found in 63 patients (22%), mainly with ocular or auditory involvement. Meningovascular and tabetic form were both found in 12% of cases. Gummatous and epileptic manifestations were rare. Perusal of the literature confirms that NS prevalence is increasing, often with manifestations that are atypical for timing and type of lesions. Unfortunately, many articles are lacking of critical information, like an accurate clinical history and timing of the therapy making difficult to assess the effectiveness of penicillin in preventing NS.

show abstract

31-Year-Old Woman With Chronic Daily Headache and Alopecia

Cited by 2 publications

References 7 publications

Syphilitic Alopecia: Report of a Challenging Case and Review of the Literature

Syphilitic Alopecia: Report of a Challenging Case and Review of the Literature

Changes in neurosyphilis presentation: a survey on 286 patients

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About