Unmasking “The Great Imitator”: A Case Report of a Rare Presentation of Syphilis

Syphilis presents with various clinical manifestations, making diagnosis challenging. We report an atypical case involving a 58-year-old immunocompetent man with a history of penile lesions. He exhibited an ulcerated skin lesion in the right temporal region, oral condyloma, lymphadenopathy, and an abdominal wall mass. Despite inconclusive histopathologic findings of the skin lesion biopsy, a diagnosis of nonprimary syphilis was made based on strong clinical evidence, a reactive fluorescent treponemal antibody assay, and an elevated rapid plasma reagin titer. The patient showed a remarkable response to intravenous penicillin G therapy. This case report highlights the importance of early recognition and management of atypical syphilis presentations.

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Publication Details

Journal
Annals of Internal Medicine Clinical Cases
Published
2025-02-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7326/aimcc.2024.0915
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Syphilis Diagnosis and Treatment
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.16
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article

Unmasking “The Great Imitator”: A Case Report of a Rare Presentation of Syphilis

Badrunnisa Hanif, Raul Marquez, Taha Shaikh
1 citations
Annals of Internal Medicine Clinical Cases
Syphilis Diagnosis and Treatment
1.16
article

Unmasking “The Great Imitator”: A Case Report of a Rare Presentation of Syphilis

Badrunnisa Hanif, Raul Marquez, Taha Shaikh
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Syphilis presents with various clinical manifestations, making diagnosis challenging. We report an atypical case involving a 58-year-old immunocompetent man with a history of penile lesions. He exhibited an ulcerated skin lesion in the right temporal region, oral condyloma, lymphadenopathy, and an abdominal wall mass. Despite inconclusive histopathologic findings of the skin lesion biopsy, a diagnosis of nonprimary syphilis was made based on strong clinical evidence, a reactive fluorescent treponemal antibody assay, and an elevated rapid plasma reagin titer. The patient showed a remarkable response to intravenous penicillin G therapy. This case report highlights the importance of early recognition and management of atypical syphilis presentations.

Annals of Internal Medicine Clinical CasesVol. 4(2)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 26%
Syphilis Diagnosis and Treatment
1.16
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