Demonstration of <i>Treponema pallidum</i> by immunohistochemistry in a patient with secondary syphilis mimicking pityriasis lichenoides chronica

Lee, Eui Hyung; Lee, Sang Eun; Kim, Dong Hyun; Kim, Soo Chan

doi:10.1111/j.1346-8138.2011.01436.x

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…5 Similarly, a few published papers have reported secondary syphilis that mimics PLC. 6,7 In the present case, we did not realize the possibility of syphilis at first because of the young age of the patient and the cutaneous manifestations such as relapsed systemic erythema and papules, necrotic crust and hyperpigmentation that were compatible with PLEVA, which hampered the diagnosis of this case.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Secondary Syphilis in a 12-Year-Old Girl Misdiagnosed as Pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta: A Case Report

Zhang

Huang

et al. 2021

CCID

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Syphilis is a complex, systemic infectious disease caused by Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. Herein, we report a rare case of secondary syphilis with probable neurosyphilis that was misdiagnosed as pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA) in a 12-year-old human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative patient. A female patient presented to our hospital with a four-month history of relapsed systemic rash, accompanied by hair loss, arthralgia and fatigue. Based on physical examination and skin biopsy, she was initially diagnosed as PLEVA and treated both locally and systemically but failed to present a dermatologic improvement. The diagnosis of secondary syphilis with probable neurosyphilis was made based on serologic and cerebrospinal fluid tests. After neurosyphilis therapy, the clinical manifestations of the patient were significantly improved. Physicians should be alert for the possibility of syphilis when encountering cases with unusual clinical manifestations.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%