Abstract

BARROS, Ana Margarida et al. Neurosyphilis: clinical and laboratorial review . Arq Med [online]. 2005, vol.19, n.3, pp.121-129. ISSN 2183-2447.

Neurosyphilis became very rare since the introduction of penicillin. However, in the mid-1970s, it was reported an increasing number of cases in individuals likely to have concurrent human immunodeficiency virus infection. The rising in syphilis in recent years in Europe and United States of America, can also lead to an increase in the number of cases of neurosyphilis seen by practitioners. It is importante to know the polymorphic character of neurosyphilis, which can easily mimic many other neurologic and psychiatric diseases. Besides, one must know the range of the possible serologic reactions, biochemistry and Immunoglobulin G electrophoretic patterns in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. In human immunodeficiency virus infected patients clinical manifestations may be confused with other central nervous system diseases such as infection by human immunodeficiency virus or by other opportunistic agents and these patients also have a higher rate of negative serologic reactions in cerebrospinal fluid, which makes diagnosis more difficult. For the above mentioned reasons, the authors make a review of the clinical and laboratorial findings and of the more recent therapeutic guidelines of the disease.

Keywords : Neurosyphilis; Syphilis; Cerebrospinal fluid.

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