Note: There may be no symptoms (in the asymptomatic form)
Signs and tests:
Tests to detect syphilis include detection of antibodies in blood. These are non-treponemal tests (VDRL, RPR). These are not specific and are used as screening tests. If positive the diagnosis of syphilis is confirmed using treponemal tests (e.g., FTA-Abs or MHATP). In neurosyphilis, it is important to test for VDRL in the spinal fluid.
Review Date: 2/7/2005
Reviewed By: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Departments of Anatomy & Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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