DOI: 10.1097/IIO.0b013e3180377778
,
,
PMID: 17450013
Issn Print: 0020-8167
Publication Date: 2007/04/01
Syphilis: An Ophthalmologic Update
Laura A. Teasley; C. Stephen Foster
Excerpt
Syphilis is an infectious disease that causes a systemic illness with a variety of signs and symptoms, many of which manifest only during certain intervals in the course of the infection. (Indeed, Sir William Osler is credited to have said, “He who knows syphilis, knows medicine.”).1 It has been alluded to in biblical history, but is felt to have begun its expansion to its current worldwide distribution with the exploration of the New World by Christopher Columbus, in the 15th century.2–5 Many acronyms have been used throughout the centuries to describe the disease. Interestingly, groups of people who were at odds with other societies (ie, warring nations, different religious groups, etc) were inclined to call the disease by the name of their alleged enemy. For this reason, it has been labeled as the Great Pox, the Christian Pox, Morbus Gallicus, the Italian Disease, and Lues Venereum, among other titles. The eponym “syphilis” is a nod to the character Syphilus in a poem created by a doctor in the 16th century.6,7 This article reviews the cause and current epidemiology of syphilis, its natural course and ophthalmic manifestations, and the current treatments as defined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
