[Tabetic arthropathy: "a forgotten disease"].
BACKGROUND
With the current sparcity of syphilitic manifestations, the once obvious aspects of the affection have been forgotten or are little known. We report 4 cases of tabetic arthropathy admitted to the Dermatology Department Ibn Rochd University Hospital of Casablanca.


METHODS
The mean age of the patients was 50 years, all were males. The diagnosis was based on clinical, radiological, and biological criteria. There was a large contrast between the extent of the articular malformation and the indolence. The radiological aspect associated destructive and constructive lesions. The syphilis serology was positive in the articular liquid, the blood and/or the cerebro-spinal fluid. Treatment was essentially medical.


CONCLUSIONS
Tabetic arthropathy, an exceptional affection, is one of the complications of the tabes dorsalis. Its prevention relies on the treatment of the syphilis at an early stage, before the onset of the articular and neurologic forms, the management of which remains very difficult.
Zouhair
K
K
Service de Dermatologie, CH Ibn Rochd, Casablanca, Morocco.
Akhdari
N
N
El Ouazzani
T
T
Lazrak
S
S
Lakhdar
H
H
D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013587:Syphilis / Q000150:complications*