Secondary Syphilis Presenting as a Pruritic Dermatosis

Pruritic nodular secondary syphilis in a 61-year-old man with HIV infection

“…Although it has not been described classically as a common feature in secondary syphilis, four case reports had stressed on pruritus related to the maculopapular eruption and in one case related to psoriasiform plaques on the scalp, face, and body. 9–11 In addition, one previous study revealed pruritus on 44 out of 105 patients with secondary syphilis. 12 The absence of other symptoms like weight loss, asthenia, arthralgias, or fever excluded the diagnosis of malignant syphilis.…”

Lesões vesiculares e prurido intenso em paciente com sífilis secundária:manifestação clínica atípica

“…Sua clínica pode mimetizar outras afecções dermatológicas, como líquen plano, eritema multiforme, micose fungóide, dentre outros [2]. O prurido, mencionado em muitos textos como sintoma não característico de sífilis, também já foi descrito na literatura, associado a diferentes formas de lesão cutânea do secundarismo sifilítico [4,9]. No trabalho de Chapel em 1980, até 42% dos pacientes com sífilis secundária podem experimentar o prurido como sintoma .…”

Morgellons: a novel dermatological perspective as the multisystem infective disease borreliosis

“…The condition may also be compared to the dermal manifestation of syphilis in its secondary and tertiary stages where pruritus can be a dominant feature, and mucous membrane as well as nail dystrophy changes may be present [15][16][17][18][19][20] . It is also important to distinguish MD from intravenous drug abuse where formication can be a feature.…”