Secondary Syphilis Presenting as Glossodynia, Plaques en Prairie Fauchée, and a Split Papule at the Oral Commissure: Case Report and Review
Syphilis has been coined “the great imitator” due to its extreme heterogeneity of presentation and mimicry of other conditions. Therefore, it is essential that physicians be familiar with the full spectrum of its manifestations. Syphilis may also lead to oral lesions that, occasionally, are unaccomp...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2017-01-01
|
| Series: | Case Reports in Medicine |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/1980798 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832563653087330304 |
|---|---|
| author | Walter de Araujo Eyer-Silva Maria Alessandra Leite Freire Cecília Angelina Horta-Araujo Guilherme Almeida Rosa da Silva Jorge Francisco da Cunha Pinto Fernando Raphael de Almeida Ferry |
| author_facet | Walter de Araujo Eyer-Silva Maria Alessandra Leite Freire Cecília Angelina Horta-Araujo Guilherme Almeida Rosa da Silva Jorge Francisco da Cunha Pinto Fernando Raphael de Almeida Ferry |
| author_sort | Walter de Araujo Eyer-Silva |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Syphilis has been coined “the great imitator” due to its extreme heterogeneity of presentation and mimicry of other conditions. Therefore, it is essential that physicians be familiar with the full spectrum of its manifestations. Syphilis may also lead to oral lesions that, occasionally, are unaccompanied by concomitant tegumentary findings. Such patients will pose unique diagnostic challenges. We report the case of a 45-year-old HIV-infected male patient in whom secondary syphilis presented with burning mouth and dysgeusia that progressed to glossodynia and odynophagia. Examination revealed painful, shallow erosions on the posterior aspect of the tongue, in a pattern of plaques en prairie fauchée. A painful split papule (fausse perlèche or false angular cheilitis) was also present in the left commissure. There were no cutaneous lesions. The oral lesions were considered highly suggestive of secondary syphilis. A novel VDRL assay (which was previously negative) yielded a titer of 1/128. Complete clinical remission was rapidly achieved after initiation of penicillin therapy. A comprehensive review of the literature on oral manifestations of syphilis is offered. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-aa26f8a4201a45d6b311cae8051eb19a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-9627 1687-9635 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Reports in Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-aa26f8a4201a45d6b311cae8051eb19a2025-02-03T01:13:01ZengWileyCase Reports in Medicine1687-96271687-96352017-01-01201710.1155/2017/19807981980798Secondary Syphilis Presenting as Glossodynia, Plaques en Prairie Fauchée, and a Split Papule at the Oral Commissure: Case Report and ReviewWalter de Araujo Eyer-Silva0Maria Alessandra Leite Freire1Cecília Angelina Horta-Araujo2Guilherme Almeida Rosa da Silva3Jorge Francisco da Cunha Pinto4Fernando Raphael de Almeida Ferry5Hospital Universitário Gaffrée e Guinle, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilPrograma Municipal de HIV/AIDS de Miracema, Posto de Saúde Dr. Irineu Sodré, Av. Nilo Peçanha 59, 28460-000 Miracema, RJ, BrazilPrograma Municipal de HIV/AIDS de Miracema, Posto de Saúde Dr. Irineu Sodré, Av. Nilo Peçanha 59, 28460-000 Miracema, RJ, BrazilHospital Universitário Gaffrée e Guinle, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilHospital Universitário Gaffrée e Guinle, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilHospital Universitário Gaffrée e Guinle, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilSyphilis has been coined “the great imitator” due to its extreme heterogeneity of presentation and mimicry of other conditions. Therefore, it is essential that physicians be familiar with the full spectrum of its manifestations. Syphilis may also lead to oral lesions that, occasionally, are unaccompanied by concomitant tegumentary findings. Such patients will pose unique diagnostic challenges. We report the case of a 45-year-old HIV-infected male patient in whom secondary syphilis presented with burning mouth and dysgeusia that progressed to glossodynia and odynophagia. Examination revealed painful, shallow erosions on the posterior aspect of the tongue, in a pattern of plaques en prairie fauchée. A painful split papule (fausse perlèche or false angular cheilitis) was also present in the left commissure. There were no cutaneous lesions. The oral lesions were considered highly suggestive of secondary syphilis. A novel VDRL assay (which was previously negative) yielded a titer of 1/128. Complete clinical remission was rapidly achieved after initiation of penicillin therapy. A comprehensive review of the literature on oral manifestations of syphilis is offered.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/1980798 |
| spellingShingle | Walter de Araujo Eyer-Silva Maria Alessandra Leite Freire Cecília Angelina Horta-Araujo Guilherme Almeida Rosa da Silva Jorge Francisco da Cunha Pinto Fernando Raphael de Almeida Ferry Secondary Syphilis Presenting as Glossodynia, Plaques en Prairie Fauchée, and a Split Papule at the Oral Commissure: Case Report and Review Case Reports in Medicine |
| title | Secondary Syphilis Presenting as Glossodynia, Plaques en Prairie Fauchée, and a Split Papule at the Oral Commissure: Case Report and Review |
| title_full | Secondary Syphilis Presenting as Glossodynia, Plaques en Prairie Fauchée, and a Split Papule at the Oral Commissure: Case Report and Review |
| title_fullStr | Secondary Syphilis Presenting as Glossodynia, Plaques en Prairie Fauchée, and a Split Papule at the Oral Commissure: Case Report and Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Secondary Syphilis Presenting as Glossodynia, Plaques en Prairie Fauchée, and a Split Papule at the Oral Commissure: Case Report and Review |
| title_short | Secondary Syphilis Presenting as Glossodynia, Plaques en Prairie Fauchée, and a Split Papule at the Oral Commissure: Case Report and Review |
| title_sort | secondary syphilis presenting as glossodynia plaques en prairie fauchee and a split papule at the oral commissure case report and review |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/1980798 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT walterdearaujoeyersilva secondarysyphilispresentingasglossodyniaplaquesenprairiefaucheeandasplitpapuleattheoralcommissurecasereportandreview AT mariaalessandraleitefreire secondarysyphilispresentingasglossodyniaplaquesenprairiefaucheeandasplitpapuleattheoralcommissurecasereportandreview AT ceciliaangelinahortaaraujo secondarysyphilispresentingasglossodyniaplaquesenprairiefaucheeandasplitpapuleattheoralcommissurecasereportandreview AT guilhermealmeidarosadasilva secondarysyphilispresentingasglossodyniaplaquesenprairiefaucheeandasplitpapuleattheoralcommissurecasereportandreview AT jorgefranciscodacunhapinto secondarysyphilispresentingasglossodyniaplaquesenprairiefaucheeandasplitpapuleattheoralcommissurecasereportandreview AT fernandoraphaeldealmeidaferry secondarysyphilispresentingasglossodyniaplaquesenprairiefaucheeandasplitpapuleattheoralcommissurecasereportandreview |