Faculty Articles
Title
An 82 Year Old Male with Tinnitus: A Case of Early Neurosyphilis
ISBN or ISSN
1525-8610
Publication Title
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
Volume
14
Issue
3
Publication Date / Copyright Date
3-2013
First Page
B4
Publisher
Elsevier
DOI Number
10.1016/j.jamda.2012.12.014
Abstract
Infection with the spirochete Treponema pallidum is the cause of syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease. Disease staging includes primary, secondary, tertiary, and latent stages. Diagnosis is made primarily through antibody testing, as T. pallidum cannot be grown in culture. Neurosyphilis occurs when T. pallidum invades the central nervous system via cerebrospinal fluid, and can be defined as early or late stage. Early neurosyphilis invades CSF, meninges, and blood vessels. The brain and spinal cord are attacked in late neurosyphilis. According to the literature, hearing loss and tinnitus are common presenting symptoms of otosyphilis, occurring in respectively 90% and 72% of cases.
Disciplines
Medical Specialties | Medicine and Health Sciences | Osteopathic Medicine and Osteopathy
Keywords
central nervous system, neurosyphilis, tinnitus
NSUWorks Citation
Hames, Elizabeth Muller; Somorecki, Angelina; and Rivas, Kenya M., "An 82 Year Old Male with Tinnitus: A Case of Early Neurosyphilis" (2013). Faculty Articles. 1517.
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_com_faculty_articles/1517
