Syphilis causing hearing loss.
An HIV-positive man with hepatitis B co-infection, naïve to highly active antiretroviral therapy, with a CD4 of 594 copies/mL and HIV-1 viral load of 140,070 copies, presented with right-sided facial weakness and hearing loss. He had been treated for secondary syphilis three months earlier when his rapid plasma reagin (RPR) result was 1:16, this had fallen to neat. At presentation, his RPR had risen to 1:16 again. A magnetic resonance imaging scan showed enhancement of the internal auditory canal and right cochlea. His cerebrospinal fluid examination was normal. He was treated with acyclovir and prednisolone before the syphilis serology was known. He was then treated for syphilis with doxycycline. He made an excellent recovery.
Chan
S Y
SY
Department of Genitourinary Medicine, St Thomas's Hospital, London, UK. sumyeeyorkies@yahoo.co.uk
Medhi
M
M
Ekbote
A
A
Moses
S
S
Sibtain
N
N
Andrews
T
T
O'Connor
A F
AF
Kulasegaram
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D015497:HIV-1; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D013587:Syphilis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004318:Doxycycline