South Korean and US clinicians have described two separate cases of syphilis masquerading as chronic refractory macular diseases.
Two patients had been diagnosed with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular oedema (DMO), respectively.
Writing in BMC Infectious Diseases,1 clinicians from Pusan National University and Stanford University shared that laboratory evaluations for syphilis should be considered – not only for uveitis but also for refractory retinal diseases.
The disease worsened despite repeated intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and also surgical treatment (in the suspected case of DMO).
“Once intravenous penicillin was started, the macular diseases improved.”
Systemic evaluations were positive for syphilis. Once intravenous penicillin was started, the macular diseases improved.
“The current two cases demonstrated that ocular syphilis can masquerade as refractory chronic retinal diseases such as DMO and neovascular AMD,” they highlighted.
Reference
- Park, S.W., Kim, KH., Kwon, H.J. et al. Ocular syphilis masquerading as refractory retinal diseases. BMC Infect Dis 24, 165 (2024). DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08739-2.
