Syphilitic Alopecia: Report of a Challenging Case and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Syphilitic alopecia (SA) is a rare manifestation of syphilis, which may be the only manifestation of the disease. Two clinical forms are described; a symptomatic alopecia and an essential alopecia. This last clinical form is the most frequently observed, presenting as a “moth-eaten” or “patch-form” appearance, in a more diffused hair loss pattern. The term neurosyphilis refers to the infection of the Central Nervous System (CNS) by Treponema Pallidum (T. pallidum) and can occur at any time during the course of the disease. We present the case of a 61-year-old man who was diagnosed with early neurosyphilis presenting with syphilitic alopecia, and a review of the current literature. Although there are numerous reports of individual cases of both syphilitic alopecia and neurosyphilis, to our knowledge there are only three reports that describe their simultaneous presentation. We emphasize the importance of recognizing this presentation of syphilis in clinical practice, in order to carry out a timely treatment of the patient and their contacts.