Saturday, February, 11, 2012

Neurosyphilis

Table of Contents

Symptoms
  • Abnormal walk (gait)
  • Blindness
  • Confusion
  • Dementia
  • Depression
  • Headache
  • Incontinence
  • Inability to walk
  • Irritability
  • Numbness in the toes, feet, or legs
  • Poor concentration
  • Seizures
  • Stiff neck
  • Tremors
  • Visual disturbances
  • Weakness

Note: There may be no symptoms.


Signs and tests

Signs include:

  • Abnormal reflexes
  • Muscle atrophy
  • Muscle contractions

Blood tests can be done to detect substances produced by the bacteria that cause syphilis. The oldest test is the VDRL test.

Other tests include:

  • Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS)
  • Rapid plasma reagin (RPR)
  • Treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay (TPPA)

In neurosyphilis, it is important to test the spinal fluid for signs of syphilis.

Tests to look for problems with the nervous system may include:

  • Cerebral angiogram
  • Head CT scan
  • Lumbar puncture ("spinal tap") and a cerebrospinal fluid analysis ( CSF fluid analysis )
  • MRI scan of the brain, brainstem, or spinal cord

Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)