Oral manifestation of syphilis: an unusual presentation of tertiary syphilis

A 48-year-old female patient, a smoker and alcohol user, presented a painful ulcer lesion with a central crusty, bleeding-to-the-touch growth of 2.5 cm on her lower lip for 40 days. Also, skin lesions looked like eczematous dermatoses, and lymph nodes were soft and sore. Exfoliative cytology excluded malignancy, immunophenotype was negative, and histopathology showed formation of granulomas and vascular proliferations, suggesting Spirochaetas presence. Laboratorial examinations showed human hepesvirus 8/Epstein-Barr virus/cytomegalovirus ( −), HIV 1-2 (−), Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (+), rapid plasma reagin test reactive at 1:64, and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (+).
Source: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontics - Category: ENT & OMF Authors: Source Type: research