Neurosyphilis in patients at a university hospital in the central west region of Brazil
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Data
2023-07-06
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Editor
Universidade Federal de Goiás
Resumo
Syphilis remains a significant public health concern, and the central nervous system (CNS)
involvement may occur at any stage of infection. Neurosyphilis must be ruled out in patients
diagnosed with syphilis and exhibiting neurological or psychiatric symptoms, and cerebrospinal
fluid (CSF) examination should be performed prior to treatment. A cohort of patients with
neurosyphilis (aged ≥18 years old) was studied in a university hospital in the Central West
Region of Brazil from 2018 to 2021. Twenty-four patients met the criteria for inclusion of
confirmed neurosyphilis; 17 (70%) were male, with a median age of 37.5 (22–64). Six were
asymptomatic, one had isolated otosyphilis, 11 had ocular syphilis, one had both ocular and
otosyphilis, and five had other neurological symptoms. Thirteen patients (54%) were coinfected
with HIV. Visual changes (50%) were the most common symptom; otosyphilis was present in
8.3%. Fourteen patients (58%) had positive VDRL in the CSF, and the median CSF-VDRL titer
was 1:4. The cure rate was 87%, with three cases having persistent CSF-VDRL positivity after
six months from the first treatment. In conclusion, understanding neurosyphilis, its clinical
diversity, and its epidemiological and laboratory profile allows early diagnosis and treatment,
consequently reducing its morbidity
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Syphilis, Neurosyphilis, Otosyphilis, Ocular syphilis, HIV
Citação
ROSA, Pâmella Wander et al. Neurosyphilis in patients at a university hospital in the central west region of Brazil. Revista de Patologia Tropical, Goiânia, v. 52, n. 2, p. 97-106, abr./jun. 2023. DOI: 10.5216/rpt.v52i2.75654. Disponível em: https://revistas.ufg.br/iptsp/article/view/75654/40041. Acesso em: 27 dez. 2023.