Laryngeal Syphilis

Abstract

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. The complexity of the disease gained it the moniker "the great imitator"; it was William Osler who said, "He who knows syphilis, knows medicine." In 1866, Patrick Watson of Edinburgh, Scotland, reported a case of a 36-year-old man in whom syphilis destroyed the larynx.(1) The diagnosis was made postmortem. It was once believed that this was the first reported total laryngectomy, but the credit should actually be given to Christian Albert Theodor Billroth who performed this surgery on a patient with laryngeal carcinoma in 1873.

Painful rash with hoarseness: an atypical presentation of syphilis

“…There have been a small number of case reports published about both syphilis related tonsillitis10 and laryngitis,11 as well as a laryngeal nodule high suggestive of neoplasm,12 all found to be T. pallidum and successfully treated with penicillin. A search of the literature at initial presentation yielded this information and was helpful in guiding differential as well as indicating work-up of T. pallidum infection.…”

Professional career and family life of Viennese Primadonnas. The case of Catarina Cavalieri and Aloysia Weber (Lange)

“…We do not know what had been happening to her until 1801, when on 9 February she wrote her will, witnessed by Salieri; she died on 30 June 1801. Perhaps her ailment was indeed related to a serious chronic systemic disease, such as syphilis (Lahav et al, 2011), which would coincide with the suspicions of Unseld. Cavalieri's worsening condition may have been caused by being generally wasted by syphilis, but that disease attacks all organs, including the larynx and the voice organ, thus making it impossible to perform as a singer.…”

The Mucosal Manifestations of Syphilis in the Head and Neck

“…This observation has been seen before, with one report noting grossly irregular vocal fold edges with keratotic and fibrinous changes. 73…”