title: Syphilitic meningitis causing paraparesis in an HIV-negative woman.
abstract: Syphilitic meningitis, which can occur near the time of secondary syphilis, is frequently asymptomatic. There has been one recent report of an HIV-positive patient who developed syphilitic polyradiculopathy following a recent history of secondary syphilis. We describe an HIV-negative woman in whom paraparesis occurred secondary to syphilitic meningitis. Complete recovery followed a course of high-dose intravenous penicillin therapy, emphasizing the treatable nature of this cause of paraparesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bose
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sze
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Waxman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006801:Humans; D008581:Meningitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D009494:Neurosyphilis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D010243:Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D010406:Penicillins