Features of clinical manifestations of secondary syphilis in a HIV infected patient

Syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are diseases of an infectious nature with a predominantly sexual route of infection. Despite the decrease in the incidence of syphilis in recent years in Russia, there is an increase in HIV infection.

The combination of several infections in one patient leads to changes in clinical manifestations, which sometimes significantly complicates their diagnosis, leading to a late start of treatment. Syphilis against the background of HIV infection proceeds in stages, but usually it has a malignant, aggressive and severe course, often with the development of atypical forms and complications.

The primary syphilis against the background of HIV infection is characterized by the appearance of ulcerative-necrotic character of the hard chancre, such severe complications as phagedenism and gangrenization, the frequent addition of a secondary infection, severe soreness of the hard chancre. Secondary syphilides in HIV-infected patients are characterized by the appearance of ulceration with the formation of necrotizing vasculitis, extraordinary infectiousness of the elements. The disease progresses rapidly and over a few months from the moment of infection, manifest neurosyphilis or tertiary syphilis may develop due to immunodeficiency.

The authors describe the features of the manifestations of syphilis in its different periods against the background of HIV infection. A clinical case of a 35-year-old woman who was diagnosed with secondary syphilis and HIV infection is presented. The patient had numerous skin rashes, which were interpreted differently by doctors of different specialties for 2 months. The patient was diagnosed with pyoderma, "allergy", infectious exanthema, however, against the background of the treatment, there was a negative dynamics of the skin process. The authors have demonstrated the effectiveness of specific therapy: complete resolution of skin rashes.