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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Survival with hypopituitarism from congenital syphilis.

Congenital syphilis continues to occur despite the advances in testing of pregnant women in many countries and the availability of penicillin since 1943. This is a report of a child with multiple systemic manifestations of congenital syphilis. This is one of the few cases of survival with pituitary involvement from congenital syphilis and the first noted case in which diabetes insipidus developed. Institution of routine testing in all countries might have prevented the severe manifestations of syphilis seen in this child.

Disease-Free Survival↗

Unusual presentation of congenital syphilis.

Congenital syphilis (CS) usually presents in the neonatal period and may involve any organ system. The signs are diverse and a high index of suspicion must be maintained to make the diagnosis. Early congenital syphilis can present at any time before 2 years of age, but a review of the literature over the last 30 years indicates that it usually presents in the neonatal period and seldom later than 3-4 months of life. We report an 8-month-old boy who presented an unusual combination of signs of congenital syphilis, which led to delay in establishing the diagnosis. This case emphasises the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for CS throughout early childhood.

Biopsy↗

Chest radiographs of neonates with respiratory failure caused by congenital syphilis.

Congenital syphilis still occurs in newborn babies and the prevalence has increased in recent years, especially in developing countries. This has led to an increase in the number of babies with congenital syphilis requiring intensive care for respiratory failure. The early recognition of this disease could lead to the institution of timely and appropriate treatment. In this study the radiological picture of syphilitic pneumonitis is described in 20 neonates admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit requiring ventilation for respiratory failure. The radiological picture of the babies with syphilis was compared to 20 babies with other causes of respiratory distress. The radiological picture in 17 babies demonstrated a coarse nodular pattern in addition to band-like opacities radiating from the hilar regions. The nodular opacities became confluent on follow-up radiographs. In 13 cases, the proximal humeri showed changes typical of congenital syphilis. Two of the three babies with syphilis who did not have the typical chest radiological picture had bony involvement visible on the chest radiograph. Both the sensitivity and specificity of radiographic diagnosis were 75% with a positive and negative predictive value of 75%. The diagnosis of congenital syphilitic pneumonitis can therefore be suspected on chest radiographs and should be included in the differential diagnosis of any baby who presents with an interstitial pattern on chest radiography.

Case-Control Studies↗

Pulmonary abscesses in congenital syphilis.

Congenital syphilis remains a public health concern in the United States. Infants whose mothers are treated in the third trimester without adequate prenatal care have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality in the immediate perinatal period. The identification of Treponema pallidum in tissue is definitive confirmation of infection. We report the case of a 32-week gestational age infant born to a mother treated for syphilis 7 days prior to delivery. The infant died 12.5 hours after birth. At autopsy, there was extensive acute hyaline membrane disease. In addition, there were bilateral pulmonary abscesses with spirochetes. The onset of maternal disease was unknown, but was probably early in or prior to the pregnancy. This is an unusual case of pulmonary involvement in congenital syphilis.

Adult↗

[Sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and hematological aspects as an unusual manifestation of congenital syphilis].

Congenital syphilis is a systemic infectious disease affecting and damaging many organs. It can be treated simply and effectively by penicillin. Our patient presented with sepsis and DIC, which is a rare manifestation, and to our knowledge this is the first reported case at the age of six weeks. We also review the symptoms of the disease focusing on the hematological manifestations of early congenital syphilis, diagnosis and treatment.

Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation↗

Congenital syphilis.

Congenital syphilis offers many parallels with perinatal HIV infection. Both affect multiple organs including the central nervous system, may be asymptomatic for months to years, and pose diagnostic dilemmas, especially from a laboratory perspective. Syphilis is a co-infection in some cases of HIV. Public policy issues raised by the AIDS epidemic, including stigmatization, discrimination, and denial of access to health care, have their antecedents in syphilis.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for detection of immunoglobulin M to nontreponemal and treponemal antigens for the diagnosis of congenital syphilis.

Sera from newborn infants born of mothers with a high risk of syphilis were examined for immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in two different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), using either purified flagella from Treponema phagedenis biotype Reiter or the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) antigen as the antigen. All sera were also examined by the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) test for IgM. Three different groups of patients were studied. Group 1 consisted of 84 women and their newborn infants from a high-risk population for syphilis. Congenital syphilis was diagnosed in one child who had an IgM-positive cord blood specimen in both the ELISA and the FTA-ABS test. Group 2 consisted of 10 mothers and their newborn children. All mothers had positive syphilis-screening tests, and all children had signs of congenital syphilis. All but one child had positive IgM tests. Group 3 consisted of 15 mothers and their newborn children. These mothers had been treated for syphilis late in pregnancy, and all had a positive screening test at delivery. Two of the children had positive IgM tests, probably caused by reactivity after late intrauterine treatment of congenital syphilis. The specificities of the IgM tests were high when evaluated with sera from newborn children without signs of congenital syphilis. Even though IgM rheumatoid factor was found in all of the children tested with definite congenital syphilis, the rheumatoid factor did not cause false-positive results in either the VDRL ELISA or the flagellum ELISA. No significant IgG-IgM competition was noticed in the ELISAs. This study also confirmed that IgA antibodies do not cross the placenta; most newborn children with congenital syphilis were positive in the VDRL ELISA for IgA. Both the VDRL ELISA and the flagellum ELISA are very useful in the diagnosis of congenital syphilis and may be substitute for the FTA-ABS test. The VDRL ELISA for IgM will be especially useful in developing countries with a high incidence of congenital syphilis.

Adult↗

New approaches to syphilis control. Finding opportunities for syphilis treatment and congenital syphilis prevention in a women's correctional setting.

BACKGROUND: With prostitution and drugs the most common reasons for arrest among New York City (NYC) women, female arrestees are at high risk for acquiring syphilis and delivering congenitally infected babies. Despite routine syphilis screening of all NYC inmates, many are released before the need for treatment is recognized, and once released, few could be found for treatment. GOALS: To improve syphilis treatment rates among female correctional inmates in NYC. STUDY DESIGN: At a women's correctional health clinic, on-site, rapid, qualitative nontreponemal syphilis testing (STAT rapid plasma reagin [RPR]) and on-line access to the local syphilis case registry were introduced to supplement the usual admission medical evaluation. Treatment decisions made using the authors' jail protocol were compared with treatment criteria used in NYC's sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics. Patients consisted of a consecutive sample of 685 remandees admitted one or more times during the day shift, March 24, 1993, to July 31, 1993, who had a full complement of mandatory admission medical tests. Using the study protocol, syphilis treatment decisions were made and needed treatment was furnished at the end of the admission medical evaluation. The main outcome measures were correct identification and treatment of syphilis in this population, compared with standard NYC Department of Health (DOH) STD clinic practice, as well as the effect of the jail protocol on pregnancy outcomes and need to treat offspring for congenital syphilis. RESULTS: Compared with NYC DOH STD clinic practice, the study protocol was 95% sensitive and 88% specific in arriving at appropriate treatment for syphilis. Treatment at the end of the admission medical evaluation increased syphilis treatment rates from 7% to 84% of women with indications for treatment and to 88% of pregnant women with indications for treatment. Prospective follow-up for birth outcomes revealed no spontaneous abortions and eight live births. Seven of the eight did not need congenital syphilis treatment because their mothers were adequately treated while incarcerated. CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative (or STAT) RPR testing and access to DOH syphilis case registry data provide prompt and accurate diagnostic information that can lead to an overall increase in the number of inmates appropriately treated (with a minimum amoung of overtreatment) in a women's correctional facility. This protocol may be applicable in other high-risk, transient populations.

Algorithms↗

[Pepper and salt fundus and family anamnesis in congenital syphilis].

Recognizing congenital syphilis in pediatric patients is of utmost importance with regard to therapy. The case of a 5-year-old girl with salt and pepper fundus demonstrates the importance of a thorough family history which led towards the diagnosis of congenital syphilis. This paper stresses the importance of family history in pigmented lesions of the fundus.

Child↗

The effects of case definition in maternal screening and reporting criteria on rates of congenital syphilis.

Reports of congenital syphilis in 1987 were reviewed to determine how new national guidelines for defining congenital syphilis would influence reported rates in Los Angeles County. After reviewing all reported reactive serologic tests for syphilis, we found 166 additional cases, resulting in a 426 percent increase in the 1987 reported rate of congenital syphilis. Rates of congenital syphilis are dependent upon surveillance practices, screening policies, and case definition.

Female↗

Acquired syphilis in a patient with late congenital syphilis.

Late congenital syphilis was diagnosed in a 22-year-old woman on the basis of clinical, serologic and epidemiologic features. Clinical examination showed the "saddle-nose" deformity, Hutchinson's teeth, high-arched palate, Dubois little-finger sign, and small maxillae resulting in shallow depression of the central part of the face. Two years after receiving adequate treatment for late congenital syphilis, she presented with a primary syphilitic chancre; thus it was concluded that the woman had no immunity to reinfection with Treponema pallidum.

Adult↗