Clinical-epidemiologic Characterization of Patients with Ocular Syphilis

Abstract

Objective: To describe the clinical-epidemiologic characteristics of patients with ocular syphilis.

Methods: A descriptive observational study was carried out with 28 eyes of 18 patients with clinical and serological diagnosis of ocular syphilis, who were attended at the Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology Ramón Pando Ferrer during the period January-December 2022. Variables analyzed were age, sex, skin color, co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus, anatomical classification of uveitis, laterality, ocular symptoms, forms of presentation, initial and final best corrected visual acuity, and ocular complications.

Results: Age group older than 40 years (66.7 %), white skin color (77.8 %) and male sex (55.6 %) predominated. Co-infection with HIV was low. Panuveitis (59.3 %) and bilateral presentation (55.6 %) were more frequent. The most frequently reported ocular symptom was decreased visual acuity and vitritis was the most common ocular presentation (66.7 %), while the most common complication was epiretinal membrane.

Conclusions: Syphilis should be ruled out in all patients with ocular inflammation. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are imperative to minimize the risk of serious ocular complications and irreversible visual loss.

Keywords: syphilis; ocular syphilis; syphilitic uveitis.