Neurosyphilis: The shape of a rising threat

Blažeković, Antonela; Ozretić, David; Habek, Mario; Bilić, Ervina; Borovečki, Fran

doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2018.07.022

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Neurosyphilis is the result of an infection of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by the sexually transmitted spirochete T. pallidum (Blazekovic, et al,2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status epilepticus with focal neurologic deficits: a rare presentation of Neurosyphilis

Jiang

Xie

et al. 2022

International Journal of Infectious Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Neurosyphilis is the result of an infection of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by the sexually transmitted spirochete T. pallidum (Blazekovic, et al,2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status epilepticus with focal neurologic deficits: a rare presentation of Neurosyphilis

Jiang

Xie

et al. 2022

International Journal of Infectious Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“… 13 For example, CSF pleocytosis may be more specific for diagnosing neurosyphilis compared to increased CSF protein concentration. 3 In immunocompetent asymptomatic individuals, CSF lymphocyte counts greater than 5 per liter or a concentration protein greater than 45 mg/dL is highly indicative of asymptomatic neurosyphilis. 8 MRI findings such as global cortical atrophy, temporal horn widening, or dural thickening may be seen when evaluating a patient with CVA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8 MRI findings such as global cortical atrophy, temporal horn widening, or dural thickening may be seen when evaluating a patient with CVA. 3 , 14 , 21 Cerebral gummas, or dural based lesions that look similar to meningiomas and medial temporal lobe changes that mimic herpes encephalitis are two neuroimaging patterns that should raise suspicion for neurosyphilis rather than CVA. 13 When looking at the MRA meningovascular syphilis specifically more often involves the supraclinoid portion of the internal carotid artery where atherosclerotic disease affects the common carotid bifurcation and cavernous portion of the carotid.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurosyphilis: A Monkey Among Men

Rowe¹,

Buckley²,

Chhetri³

et al. 2022

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Neurosyphilis is the progression of the untreated sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum . When the initial infection is not adequately treated, progression of primary syphilis can lead to a wide variety of serious health sequelae. While neurosyphilis can appear up to 10–30 years after the initial infection, syphilis can invade the nervous systemat any stage of infection and can imitate symptoms of many other diseases. This variety of symptoms is why syphilis has been called “The Great Pretender” or “Themonkey among diseases”(Krämer et al., 2018). 12 This is a case report of an 83-year-old female with a history of multiple TIAs, dementia, and breast cancer who presented to the emergency department with complaints of her head “not feeling right” and intermittent ataxia (episodes of imbalance and difficulty ambulating) reported by patient and patients’ son. Physical exam only pertinent for chronic shuffling gait, but no ataxia. The patient underwent further work-up, demonstrating negative brain imaging for cerebral vascular accident and laboratory findings negative initially, for acute infection. An RPR was drawn as part of an broadened altered mental status workup as the patient and family stated she was not back to baseline mental status and was positive with a quantitative titer of 1:8. Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ab) was found to be positive as well. The patient was started on three million units intravenous Penicillin G every 4 h and was discharged with a peripherally inserted central catheter in order to receive two weeks of Rocephin at two grams daily. Patient returned to prior baseline following completion of treatment. Through this case, we hope to provide information on neurosyphilis and its differentiation from other disease processes and when neurosyphilis should be suspected during an evaluation of altered mental status.

show abstract

“…Neurosyphilis, an infectious complication of the central nervous system caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum continues to increase in prevalence [ 3 ] but remains challenging to diagnose quickly and accurately [ 4 ] because of multiple non-specific symptoms that can manifest at different stages of the disease.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gummatous neurosyphilis in an elderly patient in the Australian outback: a case report

Devanand

Sundararajan

2021

J Med Case Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Neurosyphilis is an infection caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum, which causes infiltration and thickening of brain meninges. Despite being an Old World disease, the rates of infection continue to rise. This clinical challenge involves early and accurate diagnosis, as neurosyphilis masquerades with various clinical symptoms and is often missed during initial presentation to the hospital. A comprehensive history and clinical examination are essential to detect suspicious cases early for further cerebrospinal fluid examination and neuroimaging. Patients treated with benzylpenicillin for a specific duration often show promising clinical and cognitive improvement, thus emphasizing the need for constant vigilance in our day-to-day practice. Case presentation A 77-year-old Caucasian gentleman presented to our hospital repeatedly with multiple episodes of presyncope and cognitive impairment. He also demonstrated bilateral deafness, tabes dorsalis, and left sixth cranial nerve palsy. His cerebrospinal fluid examination showed a nonreactive venereal disease research laboratory test, and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a gumma. Conclusion The diagnosis of neurosyphilis in the elderly requires a combination of clinical vigilance and a high index of suspicion, along with multimodal investigations, including cerebrospinal fluid examination and brain imaging.

show abstract

Neurosyphilis: The shape of a rising threat

Cited by 8 publications

References 8 publications

Status epilepticus with focal neurologic deficits: a rare presentation of Neurosyphilis

Status epilepticus with focal neurologic deficits: a rare presentation of Neurosyphilis

Neurosyphilis: A Monkey Among Men

Gummatous neurosyphilis in an elderly patient in the Australian outback: a case report

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About