TY - JOUR
T1 - Histologic Features of Syphilitic Gastritis
T2 - A Rare but Resurging Imitator of Common Diseases
AU - Assarzadegan, Naziheh
AU - Fang, Jiayun M.
AU - Voltaggio, Lysandra
AU - Riddell, Robert H.
AU - Montgomery, Elizabeth A.
AU - Mcdonald, Oliver G.
AU - Coates, Ryan
AU - Carneiro, Fatima
AU - Lauwers, Gregory Y.
AU - Kamionek, Michal
AU - Lamps, Laura W.
AU - Westerhoff, Maria
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s).
PY - 2023/3/1
Y1 - 2023/3/1
N2 - Objectives: The range of histopathologic features of gastric syphilis is not well described. Here we describe the clinicopathologic findings of eight patients with syphilitic gastritis. Methods: A search of our Pathology Data System (2003-2022) and multiple other institutions identified eight patients with syphilitic gastritis. Clinical information, pathology reports, and available slides were reviewed. Results: Lesions predominated in middle-aged adults (mean age, 47.2 years; range, 23-61 years) with a propensity for men (n = 7). Three patients had a documented history of human immunodeficiency virus. Clinical presentations included weight loss, abdominal pain, hematochezia, fever, dyspepsia, nausea and vomiting, hematemesis, anemia, and early satiety. Endoscopic findings included ulcerations, erosions, abnormal mucosa, and nodularity. All specimens shared an active chronic gastritis pattern with intense lymphohistiocytic infiltrates, variable plasma cells, and gland loss. Prominent lymphoid aggregates were seen in four specimens. The diagnosis was confirmed either by immunostain for Treponema pallidum (n = 7) or by direct immunofluorescence staining and real-time polymerase chain reaction (n = 1). All patients with available follow-up data showed resolution of symptoms after antibiotic therapy (n = 4). Conclusions: Recognition of the histologic pattern of syphilitic gastritis facilitates timely treatment, prevents further transmission, and avoids unnecessarily aggressive treatment.
AB - Objectives: The range of histopathologic features of gastric syphilis is not well described. Here we describe the clinicopathologic findings of eight patients with syphilitic gastritis. Methods: A search of our Pathology Data System (2003-2022) and multiple other institutions identified eight patients with syphilitic gastritis. Clinical information, pathology reports, and available slides were reviewed. Results: Lesions predominated in middle-aged adults (mean age, 47.2 years; range, 23-61 years) with a propensity for men (n = 7). Three patients had a documented history of human immunodeficiency virus. Clinical presentations included weight loss, abdominal pain, hematochezia, fever, dyspepsia, nausea and vomiting, hematemesis, anemia, and early satiety. Endoscopic findings included ulcerations, erosions, abnormal mucosa, and nodularity. All specimens shared an active chronic gastritis pattern with intense lymphohistiocytic infiltrates, variable plasma cells, and gland loss. Prominent lymphoid aggregates were seen in four specimens. The diagnosis was confirmed either by immunostain for Treponema pallidum (n = 7) or by direct immunofluorescence staining and real-time polymerase chain reaction (n = 1). All patients with available follow-up data showed resolution of symptoms after antibiotic therapy (n = 4). Conclusions: Recognition of the histologic pattern of syphilitic gastritis facilitates timely treatment, prevents further transmission, and avoids unnecessarily aggressive treatment.
KW - Gastric pathology
KW - Gastritis
KW - Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
KW - Lymphoma
KW - Men who have sex with men (MSM)
KW - Syphilis
KW - Treponema pallidum
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U2 - 10.1093/ajcp/aqac153
DO - 10.1093/ajcp/aqac153
M3 - Article
C2 - 36702577
AN - SCOPUS:85150226240
SN - 0002-9173
VL - 159
SP - 263
EP - 273
JO - American journal of clinical pathology
JF - American journal of clinical pathology
IS - 3
ER -