Symptoms & Signs
Symptoms in newborns may include:
- Failure to gain weight or failure to thrive
- Fever
- Irritability
- No bridge to nose (saddle nose)
- Early rash — small blisters on the palms and soles
- Later rash — copper-colored, flat or bumpy rash on the face, palms, and soles
- Rash of the mouth, genitalia, and anus
- Watery discharge from the nose
Symptoms in older infants and young children may include:
- Abnormal notched and peg-shaped teeth, called Hutchinson teeth
- Bone pain
- Blindness
- Clouding of the cornea
- Decreased hearing or deafness
- Gray, mucus-like patches on the anus and outer vagina
- Joint swelling
- Refusal to move a painful arm or leg
- Saber shins (bone problem of the lower leg)
- Scarring of the skin around the mouth, genitalia, and anus
Diagnosis & Tests
If the disorder is suspected at the time of birth, the placenta will be examined for signs of syphilis. A physical examination of the infant may show signs of liver and spleen swelling and bone inflammation.
A routine blood test for syphilis is done during pregnancy. The mother may receive the following blood tests:
- Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorbed test (FTA-ABS)
- Rapid plasma reagin (RPR)
- Venereal disease research laboratory test (VDRL)
An infant or child may have the following tests:
- Bone x-ray
- Eye examination
- Lumbar puncture
- Dark-field examination to better detect syphilis-related bacteria under a microscope
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Congenital syphilis : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
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Congenital syphilis : Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
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Congenital syphilis : Treatment
Review Date : 11/2/2009
Reviewed By : Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Norhtwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
information only — they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2010 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
