ArticleJournal of Alzheimer's disease reports2023
Neurosyphilis Initially Misdiagnosed as Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia: Life-Changing Differential Diagnosis.
Article in Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Association between spirochaetal infection and neurodegenerative diseases: a systematic review and quantitative synthesis of observational studies.Journal of medical microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- Correlation analysis of psychiatric and behavioral symptoms with cognitive impairment and prognosis in patients with general paresis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Research progress on the mechanisms of neurosyphilis' impact on cognitive function, early identification, and prevention strategies.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Review
- Mechanisms of Neurosyphilis-Induced Dementia: Insights into Pathophysiology.Neurology international · 2024Review
- Identifying reversible psychiatric dementia mimics in new memory clinic outpatients.Journal of Alzheimer's disease reportsArticle
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
Diagnosing neurosyphilis can be challenging and it may be misdiagnosed as behavior variant frontotemporal dementia, given its affinity for the frontal and temporal lobes. Here we present a model case, who, in his 40 s, was initially misdiagnosed with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia based on extreme self-neglect and disinhibition over six months and frontal lobe atrophy. He was later diagnosed as neurosyphilis with positive syphilis tests in his cerebrospinal fluid. He underwent penicillin treatment and fully recovered. Relatively rapid cognitive decline, particularly if young, should prompt physicians to consider neurosyphilis as a treatable dementia, which could completely change a patient's life.
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