P82 | Blurry eyes
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Background: Visual impairment is a concerning symptom for many ophthalmic and neurologic disorders. Therefore, the clinician approaching a visual loss should also consider systemic diseases.Case presentation: A 54-year-old man suffering from a recent persistent reduction of visual acuity was sent to the Emergency Room. No pain or flushing of the eyes, nor neurological deficits. The Ophthalmologist found bilateral papilledema with some flame hemorrhages. A computed tomography angiography of the brain was then performed, excluding intracranial hypertension. Subsequently, a brain magnetic resonance ruled out any lesions, hydrocephalus, or neuroinflammatory diseases. The patient presented neither systemic involvement, malignant hypertension, nor a medical history of diabetes or toxic consumption. Since white blood cells and C-reactive protein were slightly elevated at the admission, autoimmunity and serological research for herpes viruses, HIV, Syphilis, and Borrelia were tested. The result was a strong positivity of the nontreponemal RPR test and of the treponemal-specific test TPHA, leading to a diagnosis of ocular syphilis.Conclusions: While commonly perceived as an ‘ancient’ disease, syphilis records over 6 million new cases annually. Despite its primary association with the chancre due to prevalent sexual transmission, clinicians should avoid solely linking syphilis to its initial form. Instead, they should always consider the clinical variability of the ‘Great Imitator,’ a term coined by William Osler in the late 19th century.
Source: Italian Journal of Medicine
Authors: Vo Van Kha, Tran Thi Huong Ly, Pham Thi Thanh Hoa, Vo Huynh Nhu, Damas Hendriansyah, Nusratuddin Abdullah, Rudy B. Leonardy, Mardiah Tahir, Samrichard Rambulangi, Firdaus Hamid, Filomena Pietrantonio, Vera Kopsaj, Francesco Rosiello, Aurora Tomassoni, Luca Moriconi, Donatella Padua, Kiki Rizki Amelia, Efendi Lukas, Nurbani Bangsawan, Isharyah Sunarno, Retno Budiarti Farid, Sriwijaya Qadar, Rabab H. Elshaikh, Ashok Kumar Sah, Abdelrahman Mohamed Abukanna, Abdulrahman Algarni, Ammar Abdelmola, Hussam Ali Osman, Tagwa Yousif Elsayed Yousif, Elryah I. Ali, Hiba Ali, Ayman Hussein Alfeel, Thanh Long Nguyen, Victor Storm, Lam Toi Phung, Cong Thien Le, Thi Thu Ha Le, Thi Hoa Nguyen, Son Tung Vu, Thien Thang Tran, Minh Hanh Vu, Van Tuan Nguyen, Francesco Ventrella, Anna Belfiore, Antonio Greco, Franco Mastroianni, Salvatore Lenti, Domenico Ruggiero, Michele Cannone, Vincenzo Ostilio Palmieri, Massimo Errico, Giuseppe Mancia, Guido Grassi, Sverre E. Kjeldsen
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4413684943