Syphilis related to atypical oral lesions affecting an elderly man. a case report

Objective To present a case of oral syphilis in an old patient. Background Syphilis seems to be resurging mainly in the young. However, in the last twenty years, the elderly have become more susceptive to infectious diseases due to a more frequent use of sildenafil. Clinical Report An 83‐year‐old ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gerodontology 2015-03, Vol.32 (1), p.73-75
Main Authors: Araujo, Juliane Piragine, Jaguar, Graziella Chagas, Alves, Fabio Abreu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged, 80 and over
Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage
Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use
Cardiolipins
Cholesterol
Dentistry
Diagnostic Errors - prevention & control
Erectile Dysfunction - drug therapy
Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody-Absorption Test
Humans
Insecticides - therapeutic use
Ivermectin - therapeutic use
Male
Mouth - pathology
oral diseases
oral lesions
oral syphilis
Penicillin G Benzathine - administration & dosage
Penicillin G Benzathine - therapeutic use
Phosphatidylcholines
Scabies - diagnosis
Scabies - drug therapy
Sildenafil Citrate - therapeutic use
Stomatitis, Herpetic - blood
Stomatitis, Herpetic - diagnosis
syphilis
Syphilis - blood
Syphilis - diagnosis
Syphilis - drug therapy
Unsafe Sex
Urological Agents - therapeutic use
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Summary:Objective To present a case of oral syphilis in an old patient. Background Syphilis seems to be resurging mainly in the young. However, in the last twenty years, the elderly have become more susceptive to infectious diseases due to a more frequent use of sildenafil. Clinical Report An 83‐year‐old man was referred to our clinic complaining of burning mouth. His medical history revealed papular lesions on chest and penis glans, which had been diagnosed and treated as scabiosis 2 months prior to our assessment. The intra‐oral examination showed erosive and patch lesions on the bilateral lip commissures, the palate and the border of the tongue. Initially, oral herpes was suspected. However, both the serological test and the cytology were negative. Therefore, syphilis was hypothesised. Non‐treponemic (VDRL) and treponemic tests (FTA‐ABS) were reagent and secondary syphilis was confirmed. The treatment consisted of penicillin G benzathine 2.4 million IU/IM for 4 weeks. Both oral and skin lesions had complete remission. Conclusion The present case illustrates that syphilis should be suspected in old patients with oral atypical lesions.
ISSN:0734-0664
1741-2358
DOI:10.1111/ger.12047