An 82 Year Old Male with Tinnitus: A Case of Early Neurosyphilis

Abstract

Infection with the spirochete Treponema pallidum is the cause of syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease. Disease staging includes primary, secondary, tertiary, and latent stages. Diagnosis is made primarily through antibody testing, as T. pallidum cannot be grown in culture. Neurosyphilis occurs when T. pallidum invades the central nervous system via cerebrospinal fluid, and can be defined as early or late stage. Early neurosyphilis invades CSF, meninges, and blood vessels. The brain and spinal cord are attacked in late neurosyphilis. According to the literature, hearing loss and tinnitus are common presenting symptoms of otosyphilis, occurring in respectively 90% and 72% of cases.