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Advance Research in Dermatology & Cosmetics
[ ISSN : 2992-9350 ]


An Atypical Cutaneous and Histopathological Manifestation of Secondary Syphilis in an HIV-Positive Male: A Case Report

Case Report
Volume 2 - Issue 2 | Article DOI : 10.54026/ARDC/1010


Glenn Kolansky1*, Zachary Kolansky2 and Lauren Cooper3

1Director of Dermatology HMH Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank, NJ, Assistant Professor, Hackensack Meridian Health School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, USA
2Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
3Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Middletown, NY, USA (ESECR)

Corresponding Authors

Glenn Kolansky, Director of Dermatology HMH Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank, NJ, Assistant Professor, Hackensack Meridian Health School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, USA

Keywords

Syphilis; Palmar; Psoriasis; Hyperkeratosis; Lichen

Received : April 25, 2023
Published : May 24, 2023

Abstract

We present an atypical case of secondary syphilis concomitant with condyloma lata in an HIV-positive male. The patient presented with lesions on his lateral neck, soles, and palms. Spirochetes were examined on the biopsy of the palm, consistent with secondary syphilis, but not on the biopsy from the neck. The lesion on the neck was diagnosed as an evolving secondary syphilis lesion due to the extent of the lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, presence of acanthosis and epidermal hyperplasia, the accompanying diagnosis of secondary syphilis on the palm, the patient’s history of HIV, and the related diagnosis of condyloma lata on the dorsal shaft of the penis. Following this diagnosis, the patient was referred to an infectious disease specialist who treated him with a single intramuscular injection of 2.4 million units of benzathine penicillin, per CDC guidelines. This case highlights the importance of clinicians taking into consideration a variety of factors when diagnosing and treating cutaneous disorders with a broad-spectrum differential diagnosis, particularly in at-risk individuals.