Syphilis and Infants and Children

    Syphilis, as a sexually transmitted disease, has become easier to treat with the advent of penicillin. Currently, clinical neglect and unfamiliarity with the disease lead to its failure to be diagnosed early, and its impact on pregnant women, especially infants and children, is the greatest, causing great suffering to the affected child’s body and his or her family. The physical damage can be cured, but the adverse psychological damage may stay with the child and parents for the rest of their lives. We have recently encountered several cases of these patients in our clinic and are deeply saddened by them. To be cautious, we strongly recommend pregnant women who suspect they have had the infection to be tested for RPR in the first 3 months of pregnancy and in the second 3 months of pregnancy, and to have an RPR titer test as well, because the RPR titer is of vital importance for the diagnosis of syphilis and the evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment, because there are many common diseases that can also show different chances of RPR positivity. For example, measles, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, dry syndrome, liver cirrhosis, pregnancy, etc. A positive RPR alone has no practical significance for the diagnosis of syphilis if it is not supported by clinical symptoms. This also applies to adult syphilis.