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Otosyphilis: A rare case of reversible hearing loss in a young man with secondary syphilis

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journal contribution
submitted on 2023-11-02, 11:12 and posted on 2023-11-05, 05:12 authored by Enas W. Sarsak, Walid E. Omer, Ahmad A. Al Bishawi, Muna Al Maslamani, Alaaeldin Abdulmajed Basher Abdulmajed

Background

Over the last decade, it has been noticed a significant increase in the number of cases of syphilis with a concurrent increased number of patients presenting with syphilis-related complications. Otosyphilis is a well-known complication of syphilis that most of the time, can lead to irreversible hearing loss, especially with delayed diagnosis and treatment. A high index of suspicion is needed for an accurate diagnosis of otosyphilis. Complete audiologic recovery is rare but still possible with the appropriate treatment.

Case report

Herein, we describe a case of reversible hearing loss secondary to otosyphilis in a young healthy man who was initially diagnosed and treated as a case of secondary syphilis, and presented later to the clinic with unilateral tinnitus and hearing loss. Audiology findings were consistent with asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss. Fortunately, complete recovery of hearing was achieved after treatment with a 14-day course of intravenous penicillin.

Conclusion

Otosyphilis is one of the rare presentations of syphilis; thus, the diagnosis is often missed or delayed. Prompt diagnosis and treatment can help prevent the occurrence of permanent hearing loss.

Other Information

Published in: IDCases
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01666

Funding

Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library

History

Language

  • English

Publisher

Elsevier

Publication Year

  • 2023

License statement

This Item is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Institution affiliated with

  • Hamad Medical Corporation

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