Neurosyphilis can affect many different body systems and may develop over an extended period of time.
Neurosyphilis is a gradually progressive and destructive infection of the brain or spinal cord. It is considered a life-threatening complication of syphilis. It occurs in untreated syphilis many years after the primary infection. This can lead to destruction in many areas of the nervous system, causing loss of function of a person's arms or legs, loss of vision, and altered mental abilities. Neurosyphilis occurs about 10 to 20 years after first being infected with syphilis. It is considered a life-threatening complication of syphilis.
Symptoms of neurosyphilis usually include confusion and irritability, hearing loss, vision problems, decreased ability to concentrate, memory loss, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, tremor of the fingers and lips, mild headaches and disorderly appearance. Other symptoms may involve a wide gait, numbness or tingling of the hands or feet, muscle pain, joint destruction because of lack of sensation and inability to control urine or stool. Neurosyphilis is divided into two major categories. Meningovascular neurosyphilis affects small blood vessels of the outer membrane covering of the brain (meninges), brain, and spinal cord leading to tissue death.
Parenchymatous neurosyphilis refers to the ruination of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord leading to partial paralysis and pain, urinary incontinence, difficulty walking, balance problems, and vision problems. Parenchymatous neurosyphilis usually develops in 15 to 25 years. People who are also infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) tend to develop signs of neurosyphilis sooner. Antibiotic treatment cures the syphilis infection and stops the progress of neurosyphilis. Penicillin is used to treat neurosyphilis. Penicillin-allergic individuals should be desensitized and then treated with penicillin.
