Syphilis - tertiary

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Late-stage syphilis

Antibodies

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Syphilis - tertiary

Alternative Names:

Late syphilis; Tertiary syphilis

Symptoms:

Symptoms of tertiary syphilis depend on which organ systems have been affected. They vary widely and are difficult to diagnose. In individuals with tertiary syphilis the primary and secondary stages of syphilis usually have been long forgotten. Medical findings of aortic aneurysms and neurological problems require astute diagnostic ability to link them to syphilis. Some of the symptomatic problems are listed below.

Infiltrative tumors of skin, bones, or liver (gumma)
Cardiovascular syphilis which affects the aorta and causes aneurysms or valve disease
Central nervous system disorders (neurosyphilis)

Signs and tests:

VDRL or RPR blood tests
Confirmatory blood tests, such as FTA-ABS (fluorescent treponemal antibody test)
Spinal fluid examination in neurosyphilis shows signs of meningitis.

Review Date: 7/14/2004
Reviewed By: Daniel Levy, M.D., Ph.D., Infectious Diseases, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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