170: Syphilis Flashcards
What are the four distinct clinical phases of syphilis?
- Primary Stage: Characterized by a chancre.
- Secondary Stage: Characterized by skin eruptions with or without lymphadenopathy and organ disease.
- Latent Period: Absence of signs or symptoms, with only reactive serologic tests as evidence of infection.
- Tertiary Stage: Involves cutaneous, neurologic, or cardiovascular manifestations.
What is the recommended treatment for most types of syphilis?
The recommended treatment for most types of syphilis is benzathine penicillin G, with the dose and administration schedule determined by the disease stage.
What factors have contributed to the increased incidence of syphilis among MSM?
- Decrease in safe sex practices resulting from successful HIV treatments.
- Use of the internet to meet sex partners.
- Serosorting to choose partners with the same HIV status.
- Increase in recreational drug use, including methamphetamine and erectile dysfunction medications.
What are the three infectious lesions of syphilis in adults?
- Chancres
- Condyloma lata
- Mucous patches
These lesions can be present anywhere on the body but are typically located in or around the genital, anal, or oral areas.
What is the incubation period for a chancre to develop after inoculation with syphilis?
The incubation period for a chancre to develop ranges from 10 to 90 days, with an average of 3 weeks.
A 25-year-old MSM patient presents with a painless ulcer on the glans penis. What is the most likely diagnosis, and what is the next step in management?
The most likely diagnosis is primary syphilis characterized by a chancre. The next step is to confirm the diagnosis with serologic testing and initiate treatment with benzathine penicillin G.
A pregnant woman is diagnosed with syphilis. What is the risk to the fetus, and at what stage of maternal infection is transmission most likely?
The fetus is at risk of congenital syphilis, which can occur at any stage of maternal infection but is most likely during the early stages.
What are the typical features of a chancre in syphilis?
Typical features of a chancre include:
- Sharply demarcated
- Regular, raised borders that are indurated, giving the lesion a cartilaginous feel
- Clean base
- Painless
The absence of any of these features does not rule out syphilis.
What is the significance of the ‘dory flop’ sign in syphilis?
The ‘dory flop’ sign indicates retraction of the foreskin when a chancre is present on the underside, causing the foreskin to flip suddenly. This sign helps distinguish chancres from other nonindurated causes of genital ulcer disease, such as HSV infection and chancroid, which do not present with the same induration.
What is the typical healing time for a chancre with and without treatment?
A chancre typically heals in:
- 3 to 6 weeks without treatment
- 1 to 2 weeks with treatment
Scarring typically does not occur, although thin atrophic scars may be present.
What are the characteristics of secondary syphilis?
Secondary syphilis is characterized by:
- Infectious vasculitis
- Localized or diffuse mucocutaneous lesions
- Generalized lymphadenopathy
- Laboratory evidence from tissues or sera consistent with syphilis
- Cutaneous and mucosal locations are most common
What are the common cutaneous findings in secondary syphilis?
Common cutaneous findings in secondary syphilis include:
- Syphilids or syphiloderms typically erupt 3 to 12 weeks after the chancre appears.
- Erythematous macules or maculopapules present symmetrically on the trunk and extremities in 40% to 70% of cases.
- Copper-colored round papules or macules on palms and soles in nearly 75% of cases.
- Mucous patches on the tongue that efface lingual papillae.
- Annular papules and plaques around the mouth and nose, referred to as “nickels and dimes.”
A 30-year-old patient presents with a rash on the palms and soles, described as erythematous macules with annular scales. What is the most likely diagnosis, and what other symptoms might you expect?
The most likely diagnosis is secondary syphilis. Other symptoms may include generalized lymphadenopathy, mucous patches, and systemic symptoms like fever and malaise.
A patient presents with a painless, sharply demarcated ulcer with a clean base on the cervix. What is the most likely diagnosis, and what is the typical incubation period?
The most likely diagnosis is primary syphilis. The typical incubation period ranges from 10 to 90 days, with an average of 3 weeks.
A patient presents with a unilateral labial swelling with a rubbery consistency. What is the diagnosis, and what is this finding called?
The diagnosis is primary syphilis, and this finding is called edema indurativum.
A patient presents with a deep, bright-red necrotic ulcer with a soft base and exudate. What is this uncommon presentation of primary syphilis called?
This is called a phagedenic chancre.
A patient presents with a painless, cartilaginous-feeling ulcer on the glans penis. What is the name of this lesion, and what is its significance?
This lesion is called a Hunterian chancre or ulcus durum, and it is characteristic of primary syphilis.
A patient presents with a painless ulcer on the foreskin that causes the foreskin to flip suddenly when retracted. What is this sign called?
This sign is called the dory flop sign, and it helps distinguish chancres from other genital ulcer diseases.
What are the characteristics of mucous patches and condyloma lata in secondary syphilis?
- Mucous patches: Teeming with spirochetes, highly infectious, appear as erosions in the mouth.
- Condyloma lata: Present as moist, flat, well-demarcated papules or plaques with macerated surfaces, commonly found in intertriginous areas such as the labial folds and perianal region. Reported in 8% and 17% of patients with secondary syphilis, respectively.
What systemic symptoms may accompany secondary syphilis?
- Symptoms include:
- Sore throat
- Malaise
- Headache
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Musculoskeletal aches
- Pruritus
- Hoarseness
- Pharyngitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, gastritis, hepatitis, and renal disease may also occur, along with hematologic abnormalities like lymphopenia and elevated ESR.
What distinguishes early latent syphilis from late latent syphilis?
- Early latent syphilis: Acquired within the last year, may relapse into secondary syphilis, leading to possible sexual transmission.
- Late latent syphilis: Acquired more than 1 year ago, requires different management and has a longer therapeutic course.
What are the manifestations of tertiary syphilis?
- Tertiary syphilis may include:
- Gummas: Granulomatous, erosive, nodular lesions affecting skin and bones.
- Cardiovascular syphilis: Late manifestations of neurosyphilis are also considered part of tertiary syphilis.
What are the characteristics and healing process of gummas in tertiary syphilis?
- Gummas: Nontender pink to dusky-red nodules or plaques, vary in size, favor sites of previous trauma, and may develop geometric configurations.
- Healing process:
- Initially firm, develops a gummy consistency from necrotic tissue.
- Can form cylindrical, punched-out ulcers with clean granulomatous bases.
- Superficial gummas heal with atrophic scars; deeper lesions leave thickened, pitted scars.
A patient with a history of untreated syphilis presents with a saddle-nose deformity. What stage of syphilis is this, and what is the underlying pathology?
This is tertiary syphilis, specifically late benign syphilis. The saddle-nose deformity results from gummas causing destruction of nasal cartilage and bone.