A Rare Case of Ocular Syphilis With Bilateral Central Visual Loss in a Young Man Who Was Negative for HIV

Syphilis is an ancient disease that has been resurging in the 21st century. This report describes a rare case of bilateral ocular syphilis with neurosyphilis in an immunocompetent young adult who was negative for HIV. The patient presented with a black spot in the left eye and was found to have bila...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Abdallah Mughrabi, Rinat Nuriev, Tinzar Basein
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American College of Physicians 2023-10-01
Series:Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases
Online Access:https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/aimcc.2023.0292
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Summary:Syphilis is an ancient disease that has been resurging in the 21st century. This report describes a rare case of bilateral ocular syphilis with neurosyphilis in an immunocompetent young adult who was negative for HIV. The patient presented with a black spot in the left eye and was found to have bilateral chorioretinitis and vitritis. The diagnosis was initially thought to be X-linked juvenile retinoschisis, but the results of laboratory testing revealed elevated serum rapid plasma regain and a positive cerebrospinal fluid venereal disease research laboratory test. The patient was treated with intravenous benzylpenicillin, resulting in clinical and serologic improvement. The case highlights the importance of considering ocular syphilis in younger sexually active patients.
ISSN:2767-7664