Double Trouble: Challenges in the Diagnosis and Management of Ocular Syphilis in HIV-infected Individuals

Rafael de Pinho Queiroz, Derrick P. Smit*, Remco P. H. Peters, Daniel Vitor Vasconcelos-Santos

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal(Systematic) Review article peer-review

Abstract

Syphilis and HIV infection may coexist in the same individual. Ocular syphilis and/or neurosyphilis may develop at any stage of coinfection, with a stronger association between ocular and neurosyphilis in individuals living with HIV, than in HIV-uninfected individuals. The diagnosis of ocular syphilis in HIV-infected and -uninfected patients remains with some controversy due to unspecific clinical manifestations and limited diagnostic tests. Penicillin is the mainstay of treatment of ocular syphilis, but alternative options are warranted. This review describes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical manifestations, as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges posed by ocular syphilis against the background of HIV coinfection.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1040-1048
Number of pages9
JournalOcular Immunology and Inflammation
Volume28
Issue number7
Early online date12 Jul 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Oct 2020

Keywords

  • Challenges
  • diagnosis
  • HIV
  • management
  • ocular syphilis
  • HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS
  • TREPONEMA-PALLIDUM
  • CLINICAL-MANIFESTATIONS
  • TREATMENT OUTCOMES
  • OPTIC NEURITIS
  • UVEITIS
  • NEUROSYPHILIS
  • SECONDARY
  • TIME
  • PREVALENCE

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