Gastric syphilis: a case-report

CLINICAL CASE A 43-year-old Romanian woman was referred with the clinical suspicion of gastric lymphoma; she had complained from two months nausea, vomiting and weight loss (7 kg); 3 esophagogastroduodenoscopic examinations had evidenced reduced distensibility of stomach body and antrum, ulcered and congestive mucosa, the histopathological examinations revealed a non specific inflammation. There was no response to therapy with omeprazolo. A computer-assisted tomoghraphy scan of the thorax and abdomen, obtained after the oral and intravenous administration of contrast material, showed diffuse thickening of the gastric wall, lymphadenopathies were seen in the retrocrural space, lesser curvature, and paraaortic region. It was performed another upper endoscopy with deep biopsy specimen, comprehensive of spirochetal immunohistochemistry, that was diagnostic for gastric syphilis.
DISCUSSION Even though gastritis is a rare clinical manifestations of the secondary stage of syphilis, it must be considered in the differential diagnosis of erosive gastritis unresponsive to medical therapy, especially in young patients; screening tests like VDRL (routinely used until few years ago in internal medicine divisions) may be useful to identify those patients needing a further diagnostic evaluation.