Lesions suspected of gastric syphilis: case report with complete remission after treatment with benzathine penicillin

Introduction: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease identified as a global health problem. Its gastric, esophageal and/or intestinal involvement occurs in around 1% of cases. The descriptions of endoscopic lesions and histopathological biopsies are similar to other more prevalent diseases, such...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Xavier, Arthur, dos Santos Silva, Marco Aurélio, Avelar, Robisney, Lourenço Miranda, Nilcimar, Braga Raphael, Alexandre, Rodrigues da Cunha, Paulo Roberto, Braga Raphael Maniero, Angeli, Barbosa da Cunha, Leonardo, Pedro Henrique , Pedro Henrique
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:Brasil
Recursos:Sociedade Brasileira de Doenças Sexualmente Transmissíveis
Repositorio:DST (Niterói. Online)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.bjstd.org:article/1416
Acesso em linha:https://www.bjstd.org/revista/article/view/1416
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Endoscopia
Histologia
Sífilis
Treponema Pallidum
Endoscopy
Histology
Syphilis
Treponema pallidum
Descrição
Resumo:Introduction: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease identified as a global health problem. Its gastric, esophageal and/or intestinal involvement occurs in around 1% of cases. The descriptions of endoscopic lesions and histopathological biopsies are similar to other more prevalent diseases, such as mucosal infiltrative tumors, lymphomas related to Helicobacter pylori infection, Crohn’s disease and adenocarcinomas. Objective: To report the case of an adult male patient with imaging tests mimicking gastric neoplasia, which were, in fact, lesions suspected of syphilis, its resolution and management. Case report: A 39-year-old man sought care because of severe epigastric pain related to the postprandial period and prolonged fasting, without improvementwith medication. He reported weight loss and episodes of dark-colored vomiting. On physical examination, pain on deep palpation in the epigastric region without palpable masses and peristalsis was present. An endoscopy was performed, the report of which indicated endoscopic gastritis with marked flaterosions in the antrum, with eroded, bloody, intensely friable mucosa. Also, a biopsy of the mucosa was performed, with a histopathological report resultingin a large plasma cell infiltrate, with VDRL/FTA-Abs being ordered because of the prevalence of differential diagnoses. The patient was diagnosed with syphilis and was treated with benzathine penicillin 2,400,000 IU IM in three doses, one every seven days, for a total of 7,200,000 IU. He returned in six months for reevaluation. Conclusion: Although this is a rare occurrence of the disease, one should always be aware of possible differential diagnoses toavoid unnecessary surgical interventions and procedures.