Extensive annular verrucous late secondary syphilis.
We report an illustrative case of an apparently healthy 38-year-old man with a past history of alopecia universalis who developed extensive, slightly pruritic, infiltrated annular verrucous lesions of the scalp, perioral, lumbar, perianal and genital areas over a 6-month period. The combination of an unusual clinical presentation, positive syphilis serology and rapid response to penicillin therapy was consistent with a diagnosis of extensive annular and verrucous late secondary syphilis. We present this case to illustrate a rare and potentially misleading clinical feature of late secondary syphilis, a disease considered to be of the past but still present in today's practice.
Pournaras
C C
CC
Department of Dermatology, Geneva University Medical School, 24 rue Micheli-du-Crest, 1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
Masouye
I
I
Piletta
P
P
Piguet
V
V
Saurat
J-H
JH
French
L E
LE
D000328:Adult; D000505:Alopecia / Q000150:complications; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010401:Penicillin G Benzathine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D013588:Syphilis Serodiagnosis; D013591:Syphilis, Cutaneous / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D010401:Penicillin G Benzathine; D011241:Prednisone