Essential syphilitic alopecia: Non-scarring alopecia in 21-year-old man

Hafssa Chehab,Bertrand Richert

doi:10.7241/ourd.2021e.2

Abstract

ABSTRACT Alopecia syphilitica is a less common clinical manifestations of secondary syphilis. It is uncommon for hair loss to be the sole or predominant manifestation, as hair loss is the chief clinical and histologic differential diagnosis of. The main difference between alopecia areata and Alopecia syphilitica is the detection of Treponema pallidum in syphilis. We present the case of a 21- year-old belgium man with different patches of non-cicatricial alopecia of his scalp. The patient denied previous history of genital or other skin lesions. Laboratory evaluation was positive for syphilis. The diagnosis of alopecia syphilitica was made and he was treated with single intramuscular injections of benzathine penicillin. The lesions improved with treatment in all the patients who attended follow-up. Dermatologists should maintain a high level of clinical suspicion for this uncommon manifestation of syphilis, particularly when it is the only symptom.

Highlights

Loss of hair on the scalp or elsewhere on the body of persons with secondary syphilis is called syphilitic alopecia
Alopecia syphilitica is reported in the literature, but it is uncommon for hair loss to be the only or predominant manifestation [2]
The diagnosis of alopecia syphilitica was made and he was treated with single intramuscular injections of benzathine penicillin (2.4 million units)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Loss of hair on the scalp or elsewhere on the body of persons with secondary syphilis is called syphilitic alopecia. It is one of the clinical manifestations of secondary syphilis. The characteristic ‘’moth-eaten’’ appearance on the scalp has been described by many authors. In 1940, McCarthy described two types of syphilitic alopecia, symptomatic alopecia, associated with other lesions of secondary syphilis; essential syphilitic alopecia, which has no other cutaneous or mucosal manifestations of the disease [1]. The plaques varied in size, did not present signs of inflammation or desquamation, and were not completely devoid of hair they had the characteristic moth-eaten or patchy appearance (Fig. 1).

CASE REPORT

Findings

DISCUSSION