Süleyman ÖZSELEK, Murat ERDEM, Özcan UZUN, A. Turan ILICA, Aytekin ÖZŞAHİN

Demans tablosuyla gelen nörosifiliz olgusu

Nörosifiliz, Treponema pallidum’un neden olduğu, merkezi sinir sistemi tutulumu sonucu ortaya çıkan, nöropsikiyatrik bulgularla seyreden bir hastalıktır. Depresyon, mani, psikoz, kişilik değişiklikleri, deliryum ve demans başta olmak üzere hemen hemen tüm psikiyatrik bozuklukları taklit edebilir. Nörosifilizin birçok psikiyatrik hastalığa benzer görünüm gösterebilmesi, tanı karmaşası yaratması bu hastalığı gizemli bir hale getirmektedir. Ayrıca, antibiyotik kullanımı hastalığın doğal gidişini değiştirerek, nörosifilizin farklı klinik görünümlerde ortaya çıkmasına neden olabilir. Klasik nörosifiliz belirtileri yerine, daha hafif veya farklı klinik tablolar ortaya çıkabilir. Bu yazıda, primer ve sekonder dönemleri saptanamamış, nöropsikolojik belirtilerle ortaya çıkan bir nörosifiliz (tersiyer nörosifiliz) olgusu sunulmuştur.

A neurosyphilis case presenting with dementia

Neurosyphilis is an infection of central nervous system caused by Treponema pallidum and may present with neuropsychiatric symptoms. Neurosyphilis can mimic virtually any psychiatric disorder, including depression, mania, psychosis, personality changes, delirium and dementia. Neurosyphilis is a mysterious disease because it imitates psychiatric diseases leading difficulties in differential diagnosis. In addition, antibiotics may change its natural course, and therefore, its clinical manifestations. Mild or various forms of neurosyphillis may present, instead of the conventional form. In this paper, a case who could not have been detected at primary or secondary stages and presented with neuropsychological symptoms (tertiary neurosyphilis) was discussed.

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