Stroke secondary to syphilis

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Syphilitic stroke


Symptoms

The following symptoms may occur about 1-4 weeks before the stroke:

  • Headache
  • Vertigo (abnormal sensation of movement)
  • Behavioral changes
  • Irritability
  • Weakness or the total inability to move a body part
  • Numbness , tingling or other abnormal sensations
  • Decreased or lost vision, partial or temporary
  • Language difficulties (aphasia)
  • Inability to recognize or identify sensory stimuli (agnosia)
  • Loss of memory
  • Vertigo (abnormal sensation of movement)
  • Loss of coordination
  • Swallowing difficulties
  • Personality changes
  • Mood and emotion changes
  • Urinary incontinence (lack of control over bladder)
  • Lack of control over the bowels
  • Consciousness changes
    • Drowsiness
    • Fatigue
    • Loss of consciousness

Signs and tests

The doctor will ask if you have a history of syphilis. Blood tests can be done to check for substances in the blood produced by the bacteria that causes syphilis. These include:

  • Venereal disease research laboratory test (VDRL)
  • Rapid plasma reagin test (RPR)

If tests are positive, other tests are done to confirm the diagnosis. A spinal tap may be done to check for syphilis-related substances in the CSF (cerebrospinal fluid).

The following tests may be used to determine the location and severity of the stroke:

  • Head CT scan
  • Head MRI scan
  • Angiography of the head or neck


Review Date: 03/05/2007
Reviewed By: Daniel Kantor, M.D., Director of the Comprehensive MS Center, Neuroscience Institute, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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