Erythroderma associated with secondary syphilis: A case report of unusual presentation and resurgence of the great imitator

Erythroderma associated with secondary syphilis: A case report of unusual presentation and resurgence of the great imitator [Turkderm-Turk Arch Dermatol Venereol]

Turkderm-Turk Arch Dermatol Venereol. 2019; 53(4): 154-156 | DOI: 10.4274/turkderm.galenos.2019.2612

Erythroderma associated with secondary syphilis: A case report of unusual presentation and resurgence of the great imitator

Raul Gerardo Mendez, Adriana Guadalupe Reyes Torres, Manuel Soria Orozco, Marisol Ramirez Padilla
Universidad De Guadalajara, Dermatology Service of Civil Hospital of Guadalajara �Fray Antonio Alcalde�, Guadalajara, Mexico

Syphilis is a chronic infection caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. The wide range of clinical presentations of secondary syphilis has given it the nickname of �the great imitator�. Erythroderma is a generalized inflammatory reaction of the skin secondary to a wide variety of causes; however, it is not considered a common cutaneous manifestation of syphilis. Here, we presented the case of a 74-year-old Hispanic man who presented to our clinic with a history of chronic recurrent erythroderma. His medical history was not relevant except for previous unprotected sexual intercourses. Extensive work up to determine the cause of erythroderma was performed, resulting in positive for syphilis infection. Subsequent treatment of syphilis infection resulted in erythroderma remission.

Keywords: Erythroderma, syphilis, simulator

Sekonder sifiliz ile ili�kili eritroderma: Ola�and�� bir sunum ve b�y�k taklit�inin yeniden canlanmas� ile ilgili bir rapor

Frengi, spirochete Treponema Pallidum�un neden oldu�u kronik bir enfeksiyondur. �kincil sifilizin geni� klinik sunumlar� ona �b�y�k taklit�inin� lakab� kazand�rd�. Eritroderma, derinin �ok �e�itli nedenlere ba�l� olarak ortaya ��kan genelle�mi� bir enflamatuvar reaksiyonudur, ancak, sifilizin ortak bir k�tan�z tezah�r� olarak kabul edilmez. Burada, klini�imize kronik tekrarlayan eritroderma �yk�s� ile ba�vuran 74 ya��nda bir �spanyol erke�in olgusunu sunuyoruz. �nceden korunmas�z cinsel ili�ki d��nda t�bbi ge�mi�i �nemli de�ildi. Eritroderman�n nedenini belirlemek i�in kapsaml� �al��ma sifiliz enfeksiyonu i�in pozitif sonu�land�. Daha sonra sifiliz enfeksiyonunun tedavisi eritroderma remisyonuyla sonu�land�.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Eritroderma, sifiliz, sim�lat�r

Raul Gerardo Mendez, Adriana Guadalupe Reyes Torres, Manuel Soria Orozco, Marisol Ramirez Padilla. Erythroderma associated with secondary syphilis: A case report of unusual presentation and resurgence of the great imitator. Turkderm-Turk Arch Dermatol Venereol. 2019; 53(4): 154-156

Corresponding Author: Manuel Soria Orozco, Mexico

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