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Starved for oxygen and nutrients, elastic fibers become patchy and smooth muscle cells die. If the disease progresses, syphilitic aortitis leads to an aortic aneurysm. Overall, tertiary syphilis is a rare cause of aortic aneurysms. [3] Syphilitic aortitis has become rare in the developed world with the advent of penicillin treatments after ...
Aortitis is most commonly seen in patients with syphilis, autoimmune vasculitis (giant cell arteritis, Takayasu's arteritis), polymyalgia rheumatica, and rheumatoid arthritis. [2] IgG4-related disease has more recently been identified as a cause of aortitis, and also as a cause of periaortitis (inflammation surrounding the aorta). [3]
In terms of the cause of aortic regurgitation, is often due to the aortic root dilation (annuloaortic ectasia), which is idiopathic in over 80% of cases, but otherwise may result from aging, syphilitic aortitis, osteogenesis imperfecta, aortic dissection, Behçet's disease, reactive arthritis and systemic hypertension. [1]
Syphilis has been known as "the great imitator", because it may cause symptoms similar to many other diseases. [2] [3] Syphilis is most commonly spread through sexual activity. [2] It may also be transmitted from mother to baby during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis.
Specific infective causes associated with aneurysm include: Advanced syphilis infection resulting in syphilitic aortitis and an aortic aneurysm; Tuberculosis, causing Rasmussen's aneurysms; Brain infections, causing infectious intracranial aneurysms; A minority of aneurysms are associated with genetic factors. Examples include:
The Houston Health Department has reported a syphilis outbreak, with an increase of 128% among women in the city, and a ninefold increase in congenital cases in Houston and the surrounding Harris ...
Rates of syphilis in 2000–2005 among low-risk groups such as women without children and unmarried people were about 0.3–0.6% while rates among high-risk groups such as drug users and MSM were about 7–15%. [11] Rates are greatest among men who have sex with men and sex workers. [10]
Tabes dorsalis is caused by demyelination by advanced syphilis infection (tertiary syphilis) when the primary infection by the causative spirochete bacterium, Treponema pallidum, is left untreated for an extended period of time (past the point of blood infection by the organism). [3]