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Syphilitic meningitis presenting with multiple cranial neuropathies

Syphilis is increasingly prevalent in the community. The protean manifestations of neurosyphilis make the recognition, diagnosis and early initiation of treatment challenging. We report a case of early syphilitic meningitis presenting with multiple cranial neuropathies. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exa...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Chu, Melissa, Kumar, Shejil, Sturm, Jonathan
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: BMJ Publishing Group 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8240573/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34183312
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2021-241765
Descripción
Sumario:Syphilis is increasingly prevalent in the community. The protean manifestations of neurosyphilis make the recognition, diagnosis and early initiation of treatment challenging. We report a case of early syphilitic meningitis presenting with multiple cranial neuropathies. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination was inflammatory with predominant lymphocytosis. The patient was diagnosed with neurosyphilis based on serum as well as CSF testing. Intravenous benzylpenicillin treatment resulted in rapid improvement of neurological symptoms. Neurosyphilis should be considered in immunocompetent patients presenting with multiple cranial neuropathies, or isolated cranial neuropathies without vascular risk factors.