The re-emergence in Canada of meningovascular syphilis: 2 patients with headache and stroke

Negar Asdaghi; Taim Muayqil; James Scozzafava; Rajive Jassal; Maher Saqqur; Thomas J. Jeerakathil

doi:10.1503/cmaj.070371

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Don't forget HIV
Weekitt Kittisupamongkol

Published on: 15 June 2007

Published on: (15 June 2007)

Don't forget HIV
Weekitt Kittisupamongkol
To the Editor : In excellent teaching case report of Meningovascular syphilis. HIV status should be documented in both cases. Because, The most likely route of transmission in them are sexual contact. Many individuals affected by syphilis are HIV-infected (1) and genital ulcer facilitates the transmission of HIV and increases the activity of HIV-infected individuals (1).Furthermore, HIV with syphilis is associated with mo...
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To the Editor : In excellent teaching case report of Meningovascular syphilis. HIV status should be documented in both cases. Because, The most likely route of transmission in them are sexual contact. Many individuals affected by syphilis are HIV-infected (1) and genital ulcer facilitates the transmission of HIV and increases the activity of HIV-infected individuals (1).Furthermore, HIV with syphilis is associated with more protracted constitutional symptoms, greater organ involvement and has a higher risk of neurological complication and treatment failure(1),(2),(3). Finally, HIV-co-infected would prompt an investigation for opportunistic infections .
Reference
1.Wöhrl S, Geusau A. Syphilis in adults . Lancet 2007; 369 :1912 -14.
2.Zellan J, Augenbraun M. Syphilis in the HIV-infected patient: an update on epidemiology, diagnosis , and management. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep 2004;1:142-7.
3.Collis TK, Celum CL .The clinical manifestations and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases in human immunodeficiency virus-positive men. Clin Infect Dis 2001 ; 32 :611-22.
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Competing Interests: None declared.