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Submitted: 14 October 2020 | Approved: 21 October 2020 | Published: 22 October 2020
How to cite this article: Piñeres E, Ospina C. Syphilitic pemphigus. J Clin Med Exp Images. 2020; 4: 003-003.
DOI: 10.29328/journal.jcmei.1001016
Copyright License: © 2020 Piñeres E, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Syphilitic pemphigus
Elvis Piñeres1* and Carlos Ospina2
1Department of Neonatology, MD, Pediatrics, Clínica Primavera, Meta, Colombia
2Department of Neonatology, RN, Clínica Primavera, Meta, Colombia
*Address for Correspondence: Elvis Piñeres, Department of Neonatology, MD, Pediatrics, Clínica Primavera, Meta, Colombia, Tel: +573123813707; Email: elyatassg@gmail.com
A 34-week premature newborn, child of a mother without prenatal controls, a marijuana user, with gestational syphilis with a positive rapid plasma reagin test (RPR) titer 1:16, did not receive treatment during pregnancy. The newborn presented congenital syphilis, RPR titer 1: 256 positive test.
Physical examination with hepatomegaly-splenomegaly, multiple lesions type bullous eruption (Figure 1), some hemorrhagic, areas devoid of skin (Figure 2), which gave rise to maceration and scabs, in palms and soles called syphilitic pemphigus (Figure 3). He received crystalline penicillin for 10 days and adjuvant with primary dressing for exudative wounds, with marked improvement in skin lesions. (Figures 4,5) [1].
Being a preventable disease, with adequate prenatal control, treatment of the infected mother, congenital syphilis is endemic in developing countries and a significant increase in incidence has been seen in developed countries [2,3].
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- Cooper J, Sánchez P. Congenital syphilis. Seminars in Perinatology. 2018; 42: 176-184. Pubmed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29627075/
- Teles H, Cachão J, Oliveira I, Neves V. Symptomatic congenital syphilis: still a reality. BMJ Case Reports. 2020; 13: e234812. Pubmed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32487531/
- The Lancet. Congenital syphilis in the USA. Lancet. 2018; 392: 1168. Pubmed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30319097/