Belgian Doctors Diagnose 83-Year-Old Man With Secondary Syphilis After 14-Day Neurosyphilis Treatment
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Jul 11
Belgian Doctors Diagnose 83-Year-Old Man With Secondary Syphilis After 14-Day Neurosyphilis Treatment
2 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jul 11
Summary
An 83-year-old man in Belgium was diagnosed with secondary syphilis and early neurosyphilis after an ER visit for intense itching, a red scaly calf rash, blood and protein in his urine, and swelling.
Treponema pallidum testing turned positive after earlier workups for viral infections, HIV and tuberculosis were negative; spinal fluid also showed elevated white blood cells, supporting nervous-system involvement.
Doctors linked the case to a broader cluster of symptoms that had unfolded over weeks, including facial-nerve palsy, fever, abnormal liver tests, joint pain, 11-pound weight gain and dark urine.
A single penicillin shot was followed by 14 days of intravenous penicillin, plus antihistamines and diuretics; by one month, the rash, itching and swelling had improved and liver and urinary measures normalized.
The case is unusual because secondary syphilis typically appears within 1 year of infection, while liver and kidney involvement occurs in fewer than 10% of cases, leaving the timing of exposure uncertain.